Every year, the topic of great players is constantly debated. In nearly two decades of playing basketball, LeBron James hasn’t gone a year without some reference to Michael Jordan. Comparing a player’s resume to the greatest players ever will never stop. What isn’t talked about enough is how some players have accomplished some pure greatness.
- Stephen Curry
- LeBron James
- Tim Duncan
- Magic Johnson
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Michael Jordan
- Next
- The NBA Players Who Have Won The Most MVP Awards: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Is The Ultimate Leader With 6 Trophies
- The NBA Players Who Have Won The Most Finals MVP Awards: Michael Jordan Is The Real GOAT With 6 Trophies
- Michael Jordan’s MVP Points Per Season: The GOAT Won 5 MVP Awards And Came Second 4 Times
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s MVP Points Per Season: The Legendary Big Man Won 6 MVP Awards Which Is The Most Of All-Time
- LeBron James’ MVP Points Per Season: King James Deserved More Than Just 4 MVP Awards
Individual and team awards are used as measuring sticks to dictate a player’s success in the league. It gives fans the ability to argue the resume of a player’s career. There are just a few players in the league that have won an NBA title, won an MVP award, and captured a Finals MVP Award. These are the highest individual and team trophies a player can earn in the NBA.
Winning a championship is significantly used to measure a player’s all-time greatness. Being the best player on a championship team gives the player a few extra points to stick out. Many of the great players didn’t just win a title but were also the best player on that championship team. Some of those players were the best player on their team multiple times.
Last, the MVP Award is the individual ward that signifies the best player from the rest. A regular season MVP Award is given to the most elite player each season. To win all three of these awards is an incredible honor, but what about the players that have won it two times?
Six players have managed to win four championships, two MVP Awards, and one Finals MVP Award. These players are not talked about enough for these accomplishments. Push the rankings chart to the side for a moment and just appreciate what these players have done in their careers.
Stephen Curry
4 Championships, 1 Finals MVP, 2 MVPs
Curry is on the cusp of making his way toward multiple Mount Rushmores. If he can lead the Warriors to a fifth title, Curry will be seen as a top-5 player in NBA history. After being drafted with the No. 7 overall pick in 2009, Curry grew into an All-Star, MVP, and Finals MVP. He never joined a superteam, and the team was built around him. With Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Andrew Wiggins playing massive roles during this time, it all started with Curry.
In 2014-15, Curry won his first league MVP Award and led the Warriors to their first title since 1975. Curry won his second MVP in 2016 when he became the first unanimous MVP in league history. Curry led the league in scoring and shot 50-40-90. That same year, the Warriors broke the NBA record for wins and surpassed the 1995-96 Bulls by winning 73 games. However, the team failed to win the championship after blowing a 3-1 lead to the Cavaliers.
After that season, Durant joined the Warriors, and the team made the NBA Finals for three straight years. When the Warriors won the title in 2017 and 2018, it was Durant that won Finals MVP both times. The Warriors returned in 2019 but could not stop Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors. The injuries to Thompson and Durant negated the team’s chances of winning. With Thompson out for the 2019-20 season, Curry was expected to take on a huge role when Durant left in free agency, but he was injured and played only a handful of teams.
In 2021, Curry looked like he was on a crusade to win his third MVP when he led the league in scoring again, but he finished third. Last year, Curry netted his fourth championship and won his first Finals MVP trophy. In Game 4, he helped the Warriors win a pivotal game with 43 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. He was the first player in NBA history to make at least five three-point shots in four consecutive Finals games. He won his first Finals MVP Award when he averaged 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals.
LeBron James
4 Championships, 4 Finals MVPs, 4 MVPs
James is going to go down as the greatest small forward of all time. Before we know it, he is going to be the greatest scorer of all time as well once he pushes past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. For a player to come off of a season averaging over 30.0 points per game at the age of 37 is something else we don’t marvel at enough. James is always under the spotlight because he has been compared to Michael Jordan his entire career.
James has made the NBA Finals 10 times and owns a record of 4-6. Often, fans like to look at his four championships and six losses, but what we forget is that he made the Finals a decade’s worth of times. The first time James made the Finals in 2007, he was overwhelmed. That led to a hunger that helped propel him to being the best player in the league in 2009 and 2010. During that stretch, it was Kobe Bryant that won the league championship, despite James being the best overall player. Eventually, the losses in the playoffs piled up as James left the Cavaliers to join a superteam of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat.
In 2011, James should have won his first championship, but the Dallas Mavericks had a strong run to win the title. James then won the MVP and Finals MVP in 2012 and 2013. The Heat made the NBA Finals again in 2014 but came up short against the Spurs, which prompted James to head back to the Cavaliers. That led to a four-year run of making the NBA Finals, with the team winning a title in 2016 with him winning the Finals MVP.
In 2017, James had a case for winning the Finals MVP Award when he became the first player to average a triple-double in the Finals. Despite losing to the Warriors, James averaged 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 10.0 assists. In his last Finals appearance in Cleveland, the team lost to the Warriors again, which led to a decision to join the Lakers. In 2020, James led the league in assists and helped the Lakers rise to the top of the league to win his fourth Finals MVP Award. With a few years left to contribute at a high level, James is on the prowl for his fifth title.
Tim Duncan
5 Championships, 3 Finals MVPs, 2 MVPs
“The Big Fundamental” is regarded as the greatest power forward of all time. In 19 years with the Spurs, Duncan helped the franchise win five championships and was the best player in the Finals three different times. In the lockout-shortened season, the combination of Duncan and David Robinson led a charge that saw both players make All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team. Duncan was the hero in the Finals and posted remarkable games in Games 4 and 5. That included a 28-point, 18-rebound win in Game 4 and then 31 points in the final game.
Duncan won his first MVP before his second championship. During the 2001-02 season, he set new career highs in multiple stats. That included leading the league with 764 field goals and 560 attempted free throws. He also added 25.5 points and 12.7 rebounds, while his 1,042 accumulated rebounds led the league. Duncan won the MVP in 2003 as well when he averaged 23.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.9 blocks per game. He swept the playoffs as well when he won Finals MVP, which included a 37-point, 16-rebound performance in Game 6 to clinch the series over the Nets.
With Robinson retired, Duncan took over as the true face of the Spurs. The team won another title in 2005, where the series could have gone either way. Pitted against Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace, Duncan propelled the Spurs to a Game 7 victory with 25 points and 11 rebounds. This would be the final time that Duncan won the Finals MVP Award, as Tony Parker won the award in 2007 and Kawhi Leonard in 2014.
When evaluating Duncan, his skill set made him such a unique player. He remains regarded as one of the league’s best interior defenders. He was often seen as a clutch player as well. For his playoff career, Duncan averaged 20.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. Duncan was so soft-spoken that we sometimes forget about him. With his accomplishments, that is something that should never happen.
Magic Johnson
5 Championships, 3 Finals MVPs, 3 MVPs
Is there a better point guard than Johnson? John Stockton was a masterful playmaker, while Chris Paul has the playmaking and defense to rank right in the top 3. When it comes to championship-level players, Johnson is the greatest, as he won five championships as the lead guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson was a rare breed, standing at 6-foot-9 and owning the physical strength to get inside and do the dirty work. With his strength and IQ, the “Showtime Lakers” was a pinnacle in the Finals during the 80s.
The only player to give Larry Bird a run for his money as the best individual player in that decade was Johnson. The first Finals MVP Award came in 1980 when he dispossessed the Philadelphia 76ers, which included filling in for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the center as a rookie. In that Game 6, Johnson owned 42 points and 15 rebounds. The second Finals MVP came in 1982 when Johnson averaged 16.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.0 assists.
The Lakers won a title again in 1985, but Abdul-Jabbar was the winner of the Finals MVP. The last of his championships came in back-to-back seasons in 1987 and 1988. Johnson was a triple-double threat during that period. In 1987, Johnson averaged 26.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 13.0 assists to claim the Finals MVP Award. While he won the title in 1988, he missed out on the Finals MVP to James Worthy.
The Lakers made the NBA Finals again in 1989 but fell to the Detroit Pistons. During the regular season, Johnson won the MVP Award when he averaged 22.5 points, 12.8 assists, and shot 91.1% from the free-throw line. He won the MVP again in 1990 when he averaged 22.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 11.5 assists per game. Johnson made a run to the NBA Finals for the last time in 1991, but the team was upended by Michael Jordan and the Bulls.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
6 Championships, 2 Finals MVPs, 6 MVPs
Abdul-Jabbar is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players ever. That includes high school, college, and the pros. Ever since he started playing, he has had greatness follow him. By the end of his career, Abdul-Jabbar was the all-time leader in points (38,387), games played (1,560), minutes (57,446), made field goals (9,394), and career wins (1,074). The evolution of the skyhook made him unstoppable to guard. With his offensive skill set, he is seen as the greatest center in the league.
Abdul-Jabbar won his first championship with the Bucks. Paired with Oscar Robertson, Milwaukee had the best record in the league with 66 wins. That included 20-straight wins. He won the scoring title with 31.7 points per game and won the league MVP. In the Finals, the Bucks swept the Bullets, and Abdul-Jabbar shot 60% from the field to go with over 27 points per game. The following season, Abdul-Jabbar won his second straight MVP Award when he averaged 34.8 points, 16.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 44.2 minutes per game.
His final MVP with the Bucks featured a line of 27.0 points, 14.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 3.5 blocks. After one final season with the Bucks, Abdul-Jabbar joined the Lakers in 1975. He would win the MVP award in his first season by leading the league in rebounds (16.9) and blocks (4.1) to go with 27.7 points. He followed that with his fifth MVP in 1977 when he averaged 26.2 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks and shot a league-leading 57.9% from the field. His final MVP season came in 1979-80 when he averaged 24.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.4 blocks per game.
By then, the Lakers added a rookie named Magic Johnson. Abdul-Jabbar went from MVP candidate to the best piece you could add next to Johnson. The two generated a decade’s worth of success in the 80s that, included five championships in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. Abdul-Jabbar won the Finals MVP in 1985 when he averaged 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in six games.
Michael Jordan
6 Championships, 6 Finals MVPs, 5 MVPs
For some, Jordan has a large lead over the field as the greatest player of all time. The shooting guard won six titles with the Bulls, which included winning three different three-peats. During the 90s, he led the Bulls to three consecutive titles from 1991 to 1993, as well as from 1996 to 1998. Each time the Bulls won a title, Jordan was named Finals MVP. Simply put, Jordan was on another level when it came to the rest of the players in the league.
His first MVP came in 1988 when he also won Defensive Player of the Year. This was one of the greatest individual seasons we have ever had. Jordan averaged 35.0 points per game and was the best defensive player in the league when he averaged 3.2 steals per game. The second MVP came in 1991 when he won one of his many scoring titles by averaging 31.5 points per game. The 1992 MVP was also won by Jordan when he averaged a line of 30.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.1 assists.
Jordan missed out on the MVP in 1993 to Charles Barkley but got the last laugh when he defeated Barkley in the NBA Finals to win the championship. After briefly retiring from the league, Jordan came back midway through the 1994-95 season. After a full offseason to prepare, he came back with a vengeance to win the MVP in 1996 and lead the Bulls to an NBA record 72 wins. Jordan missed out on the MVP in 1997 to Karl Malone but rebounded to win the award for a fifth and final time in 1998.
We can look at the 10-scoring titles and five MVPs, but it all goes back to what Jordan did in the postseason. He was 6-0 in the NBA Finals, and he never played in a Game 7 during that time. That included beating some great teams in the Lakers, Trail Blazers, Suns, SuperSonics, and Jazz. While Jordan had help with Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, and Steve Kerr, it was Jordan that made the biggest difference. It’s amazing when you look at the personnel Jordan bested as well, which included Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, Barkley, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, and John Stockton. Quite frankly, he was the best we have ever seen.
