Ranking The Last 10 NBA Finals MVPs: Where Does SGA Fall On The List?
We dropped our article ranking the last 10 NBA champions, and now it's time to elevate the narrative by spotlighting the Finals MVPs who burned brightest on that stage. Yes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's incredible haul, Finals MVP, and regular-season MVP in 2025 was historic.
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But how does he stack up against the emotional saviors like Jaylen Brown last season or the superstar powerhouses like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, who dominated Finals MVP hearts and spotlights?
We're taking the same ESPN-quality lens: every Finals MVP from the last decade goes under the microscope, stats, storylines, impact, and stage presence. Then we'll see where SGA lands. Did he eclipse some of the biggest names in NBA history with his Finals performance?
10. Jaylen Brown - 2023-24 Boston Celtics
Jaylen Brown stepped into the spotlight in the 2024 Finals, putting up 20.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 0.8 BPG over five games to earn Celtics MVP honors. His scoring efficiency wasn't great (44.0% FG, 23.5% 3-PT FG, 73.3% FT), but nobody shot well in the series, and it was what Brown did across the court and in key moments that earned him the recognition.
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His presence was capped by Game 5's 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in a 106–88 championship clincher. Beyond box score numbers, Brown's quiet leadership was also critical to Boston's identity shift. He and Jayson Tatum formed a historic duo and etched their names into Celtics lore with their unselfishness.
His defense, especially swarming Luka Doncic late in games, set the tone while Tatum did his thing on offense (22.2 PPG). It was a Finals where poise mattered, and Brown delivered on both ends, just enough to edge out Tatum for MVP.
9. LeBron James - 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron delivered one of the most polished Finals MVP performances of his career in the 2020 NBA Finals, averaging 29.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 8.5 APG across six games against the Miami Heat. His efficiency was elite, and he mounted a vintage Game 2 with 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists.
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LeBron also topped the Finals leaderboard in rebounding (226 total) and assists (184) while finishing second behind Anthony Davis in scoring and win shares. In Game 6, he secured the title with 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, his fourth Finals MVP, and the first player ever to earn that honor with three different franchises (Heat, Cavs, Lakers).
His leadership held through the unpredictable pandemic bubble, guiding a Lakers team that had missed the playoffs the year before to a 16-5 postseason run, and matching the Lakers-Celtics record of 17 titles. His achievement "only" ranks 9th because we have seen LeBron achieve this level of greatness before, and his previous performances in the Finals series were even better than this one.
8. Stephen Curry - 2021-22 Golden State Warriors
Curry's crowning moment was cathartic and compelling. After years of heartbreak, he dropped 27.4 PPG in 22 playoff games and averaged 31.2, 6.0 RPG, 5.0 APG in the Finals, including a 43-point barrage in Game 4. His bucket-heavy, game-tilting injection of brilliance reminded the league who defined spacing and shooting for this generation.
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This MVP was emotional relief in motion. It completed his redemption arc, solidified his legacy, and defused his critics with a dominant, championship-clinching season. It certainly helped that the Boston Celtics were not ready to be champions, but Curry took advantage, and the Warriors flexed their championship experience in an impressive series.
7. Kevin Durant - 2017-18 Golden State Warriors
Durant's 2018 MVP run confirmed his 'best-player-on-court' status a year after complete domination. He averaged 28.8 PPG and delivered a monstrous 43-point explosion in Game 3 out of Cleveland's strong defense, a performance many regard as his most dominant Finals outing.
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In the context of a Finals sweep, Durant's scoring wasn't just prolific, it was surgical, neutralizing LeBron and dismantling every defensive scheme thrown his way. Beyond the numbers, it was the dominance.
The Warriors dismantled Cleveland 4-0, and Durant not only punished mismatches, he dictated the tempo, hitting game-winning buckets and closing each quarter with surgical efficiency. His back-to-back Finals MVPs (2017, 18) positioned him as a modern legend of postseason dominance and basketball ruthlessness.
6. Nikola Jokic - 2022-23 Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic's MVP run rewrote the big-man script. Averaging 30.0 PPG, 13.5 RPG, and 9.5 APG, he led the playoffs in all three major categories, becoming the first player ever to do so.
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In the Finals, Jokic was even more dominant, posting 30.2 PPG, 14.0 RPG, and 7.2 APG. His Game 5 clincher (28 points and 16 rebounds) was a tour de force, and the Miami Heat simply had no chance at stopping the talented Serbian.
This MVP showed brains, back-breaking finesse, and evolution in a modern playmaking big. A cerebral masterclass that changed how dominance is defined in modern basketball, and we rank his performance in the 2023 Finals in fourth because of that.
Sure, the Nuggets might not have had the toughest run to the Finals, and the Heat was massively overmatched, but what Jokic did on the stat sheet doesn't make sense. He put up videogame numbers and delivered Denver's first title in franchise history.
5. Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander - 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Finals MVP in 2025 was both historic and dominant. He averaged 30.3 PPG, 5.6 APG, 1.9 steals, and 1.6 blocks across the series, displaying dominance at both ends. In Game 7, he scored 29 and dished 12 in a performance that sealed the championship and embodied calm leadership.
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He joins an elite cohort, only the fourth player ever to win regular-season MVP, scoring title, and Finals MVP in the same year (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal). SGA set or tied multiple records: most total points (3,172), highest regular-season PPG (32.7), and most 30-point/5-assist playoff games (15).
His composure, efficiency, and statistical dominance in pivotal moments secure his spot comfortably in the top five, not just for talent, but for historical transformation. Credit has to go to SGA for also surpassing Kevin Durant as the greatest player in Thunder history.
4. Kevin Durant - 2016-17 Golden State Warriors
The 2018 season for Durant was surgical, but his 2017 Finals performance was annihilation. Durant exploded for 35.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 5.4 APG, lifting Golden State to a historic 16-1 playoff run, the best winning percentage in NBA postseason history.
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His takeover in the Finals, capping an unstoppable dynasty, was scoop-pour dominance, rounding out a season where the Dubs were offense, defense, and pure basketball excellence personified.
This Finals was Durant at peak assertiveness: he took over every game, every quarter, and every possession that mattered. He carried the scoring load, held the ball under the critical minutes, and prevented Cleveland from mounting any real challenge.
This MVP didn't just validate him, it vaulted him into the pantheon of all-time greats. We can't knock Durant out of the top-five because he joined a 73-9 team, because there wasn't a player on the planet who could have done what he did against LeBron and the Cavs.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo - 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo's annihilation of Phoenix in 2021 was raw, untamed dominance. He averaged 35.2 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, including a 50-point Game 6 finish, shooting 17-for-19. His two-way game not only suffocated Devin Booker's Suns but reminded fans why 'Greek Freak' is more nickname than novelty.
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Milwaukee's 50-year drought ended on his back, and ended spectacularly. His relentless drive, transformative athleticism, and stat-stuffing performance made this MVP thunderous among anything else.
A mountain-standing performance deserving of top-tier recognition, we have to rank Giannis' Finals MVP performance third on the list. The Bucks were probably not expected to win the title, but dealing with the Kevin Durant-led Nets in the second round and eventually the Booker-led Suns in the Finals was no easy feat.
2. Kawhi Leonard - 2018-19 Toronto Raptors
Kawhi Leonard's MVP run with the Toronto Raptors was cold-blooded execution. In the Finals, he averaged 28.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 4.2 APG on an unreal 62% TS. He outperformed Steph and Klay, dismantling Warriors defenses and delivering ice-cold dagger-snap moments, without even mentioning the iconic dagger he hit in Game 7 against the 76ers.
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And it wasn't just volume either, it was clutch moment after moment. Quiet, calculated, methodical, Kawhi's performance ended Canada's championship drought and made history as the first title by a non-U.S. franchise.
What made it even more impressive is that Kawhi achieved this in his first and only season with the Raptors, and while he had a tremendous supporting cast featuring Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Marc Gasol, it was Leonard who ultimately made the difference and the season was a fairytale from start to finish.
1. LeBron James - 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron's 2016 Finals MVP is the gold standard. Over the seven-game series, he averaged an epic 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists, leading in all five major statistical categories, a feat no other player has ever accomplished.
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His 'Block' on Iguodala and Kyrie's clutch dagger came in Game 7, moments that defined not just the Finals, but LeBron's legacy. Facing down a Warriors team that had just gone 73-9, LeBron delivered a playoff run that transcended stats and echoed as one of the greatest individual crusades in sports history.
The Cavaliers rallied from a 3-1 series deficit for the first time in Finals history, and LeBron did it all against the backdrop of a city's championship drought of 52 years. His Finals run became narrative folklore and permanently altered the trajectory of his career, which is why he is the best Finals MVP over the last 10 years.
Related: Ranking The Last 10 NBA Champions After OKC Thunder Win 2025 Title
This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
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Newsweek
4 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Report: Celtics Emerge as Contender in Damian Lillard Talks
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New York Times
9 minutes ago
- New York Times
NBA projects 7 percent growth for cap
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New York Times
24 minutes ago
- New York Times
NBA free agency starts with a Bucks stunner. Plus: Fever win a title
The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic's daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Zach Harper's here to lead things off today. And we're sending best wishes to the 🐐, Red Panda. Get well soon! Big surprise news hit the NBA world yesterday morning: Myles Turner is leaving the Indiana Pacers for the Milwaukee Bucks on a four-year, $107 million contract. We thought, 'Wow! I can't believe he's leaving! The Pacers were supposed to make bringing him back a priority! And now Giannis Antetokounmpo is getting some unexpected help!' Advertisement Then we took a breath and wondered how in the Bernie Madoff the Bucks were going to be able to afford Turner. They didn't have the cap flexibility to outright sign someone like this, and Damian Lillard's $54 million contract next season (while he can't play due to an Achilles tear) was a big reason everybody started wondering if Giannis would finally ask for a trade to less-injured pastures. Then the other shoe dropped. The Bucks are waiving Dame and 'stretching' the final two years and $113 million owed to him. What does that mean for him and the Bucks and the money? Is this a good move? Will this work? I'm happy to talk to myself and answer these questions. What does waiving and stretching Damian Lillard mean? He's off the team. They've essentially cut him, but his money is guaranteed and still on the salary cap. 'Stretching' his money divides what's left on the deal over the next five seasons instead of the next two. Is that smart? It's a risk. They were going to have one-third of the cap eaten up by Lillard the next two seasons. He wasn't going to play one of those, and he probably wasn't going to be himself for much of the second season. Now, the Bucks have more flexibility, but about 15 percent of the cap each of the next five seasons is still dead money from Dame's deal. What does Dame do now? He's a free agent when he clears waivers. The 34-year-old can sign wherever he wants to sign. But he still has to rehab this serious injury and that usually takes about a year. Can the Bucks compete with Turner on the roster now? Things are better than they were. Turner replaces Brook Lopez, and he's a more versatile defender. They still don't have a lead guard and likely won't add anybody significant. They're hoping Kevin Porter Jr. converts the talent into consistency. Cleveland, Orlando, New York, Boston (still), Detroit, a healthy Philadelphia and maybe now Atlanta are all teams Milwaukee might be behind still in the crowded East. 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