NBA conference finals MVP awards
Updated: 12/11/2025, 5:14:32 PM Wikipedia source
The National Basketball Association (NBA) annually honors the most valuable players (MVPs) of both of its conference finals. Presented since the 2022 playoffs, the awards are decided by a panel of media members, who cast votes after the conclusion of the conference finals. The person with the highest number of votes in each conference wins the award. The Larry Bird Trophy is awarded to the MVP from the Eastern Conference and the Earvin "Magic" Johnson Trophy for the Western Conference. Their namesakes, Hall of Fame players Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, both made their NBA debuts in 1979, and their bi-coastal rivalry in the 1980s helped revive and popularize the league. The inaugural recipients were Jayson Tatum (Eastern Conference), and Stephen Curry (Western Conference).
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Tables
| ^ | Denotes player who is still active in the NBA |
| Year | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
| 2022 | Jayson Tatum^ | Forward | United States | Boston Celtics |
| 2023 | Jimmy Butler^ | Forward | United States | Miami Heat |
| 2024 | Jaylen Brown^ | Forward | United States | Boston Celtics |
| 2025 | Pascal Siakam^ | Forward | Cameroon | Indiana Pacers |
| Year | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
| 2022 | Stephen Curry^ | Guard | United States | Golden State Warriors |
| 2023 | Nikola Jokić^ | Center | Serbia | Denver Nuggets |
| 2024 | Luka Dončić^ | Guard | Slovenia | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2025 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander^ | Guard | Canada | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Awards | Teams | Years |
| 2 | Boston Celtics | 2022, 2024 |
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 2022 |
| Miami Heat | 2023 | |
| Denver Nuggets | 2023 | |
| Dallas Mavericks | 2024 | |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 2025 | |
| Indiana Pacers | 2025 |
References
- "NBA to name conference finals MVPs"https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/05/12/nba-to-name-conference-finals-mvps/
- "NBA introduces new lineup of postseason hardware featuring an evolution of the Larry O'Brien Trophy"https://pr.nba.com/nba-introduces-new-lineup-of-postseason-hardware-featuring-an-evolution-of-the-larry-obrien-trophy/
- ESPNhttps://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33902416/nba-unveils-new-trophies-awards-honoring-larry-bird-magic-johnson-bob-cousy-oscar-robertson
- FiveThirtyEighthttps://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-nbas-conference-finals-mvp-award-is-new-this-year-but-what-if-we-had-always-had-it/