Who Has the Most MVP Awards in NBA History? Full List and More

Ever since the 1955–56 campaign, the NBA has presented the prestigious Most Valuable Player award to the player with the most outstanding regular season.

This year, the honor has boiled down to three finalists: Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, Nuggets center Nikola Jokić and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

MORE NBA MVP: Our Case for All Three Finalists

If SGA wins, it will be his second consecutive MVP victory; the Canadian guard was awarded the top prize ahead of the Thunder's run to the NBA Finals last season. But if the Joker wins, it will be his fourth MVP award, which would tie him with LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain in the Most Valuable standings. This is Wemby's first nomination.

But who has the most NBA awards in league history? There are three players ahead of James and Chamberlain ... two of them are tied at five awards each, while one alone holds the MVP crown. Let's take a peek:

Most MVP awards in NBA history

Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the most MVP awards in NBA history with a total of six, collected in 1971, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1980. Three of those prizes came during his time with the Milwaukee Bucks, and three of them during his stint with the Lakers. Across his 20 seasons in the league, Abdul-Jabbar finished in the top five in MVP voting 15 times.

Both Bill Russell and Michael Jordan sit behind Abdul-Jabbar with five MVP awards apiece. Jordan won the prestigious prize in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, and 1998—the majority of those during the Bulls' unstoppable championship run—while Russell proved victorious in 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1965. The late Russell, of course, was the star of the Celtics dynasty in the 60s, and won a title in all five of his MVP seasons.

And, as previously mentioned, we have LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain holding down the fort with four MVP awards each. James won in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013—with both the Cavaliers and the Heat—while Chamberlain won in 1960, 1966, 1967 and 1968.

NBA players with two or more MVP awards:

Name	Times Won	Years Won
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	6	1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980
Michael Jordan	5	1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998
Bill Russell	5	1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965
LeBron James	4	2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
Wilt Chamberlain	4	1960, 1966, 1967, 1968
Nikola Jokić	3	2021, 2022, 2024
Magic Johnson	3	1987, 1989, 1990
Larry Bird	3	1984, 1985, 1986
Moses Malone	3	1979, 1982, 1983
Giannis Antetokounmpo	2	2019, 2020
Stephen Curry	2	2015, 2016
Steve Nash	2	2005, 2006
Tim Duncan	2	2002, 2003
Karl Malone	2	1997, 1999
Bob Pettit	2	1956, 1959

We'll see on Sunday if SGA will join this list with back-to-back MVP awards. The announcement is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime.

Speaking of ...

NBA players with back-to-back MVP awards

So we know which player has the most MVP awards in history ... but how many have pulled off the back-to-back victory?

A total of 13 different guys have done it, most recently Jokić in 2021 and 2022. Before that, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019, 2020), Steph Curry (2015, 2016), LeBron James (2012, 2013, and 2009, 2010), and Steve Nash (2006, 2007).

Even earlier than that, Tim Duncan did it in 2002 and 2003, Michael Jordan in 1991 and 1992, Magic Johnson in 1990 and 1989, Larry Bird in 1984, 1985, and 1986, and Moses Malone in 1982 and 1983.

And, of course, there was Abdul-Jabbar in 1976 and 1977, as well as 1971 and 1972; Wilt Chamberlain in 1966, 1967 and 1968; and Bill Russell in 1961, 1962 and 1963.

Dominance of international players

No matter who wins the MVP award this year, it will be the eighth consecutive season in which the prize is given to a player born outside the U.S.

This current run of international dominance first began in 2019 and 2020, when Antetokounmpo, also known as the "Greek Freak," took the award in consecutive seasons. Jokić, of Serbian descent, followed in 2021 and 2022, before the 76ers' Cameroon-born Joel Embiid won in 2023. Jokić then won again in 2024, before the Canadian-bred SGA in 2025.

More NBA from Sports Illustrated

Add us as a preferred source on Google