This year's NBA MVP award is almost decided, with the favorites being potential first-time winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the three-time winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
With Jokic in reach of a possible fourth MVP, here's a glance at all the NBA players in history who have won more than one MVP award in their careers. There are 15 players who have accomplished this feat, including Jokic. Take a look at some of the players with the most MVPs on their résumés.
Additionally, the list of the 10 franchises with the most MVP awards won by its players is listed below. There are nine active NBA teams that have never had a player win the MVP.
Players With the Most NBA MVP Awards
Player
Number of MVPs
Years
Teams
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
6
1971, ’72, ’74, 76, ’77, ’80
Milwaukee Bucks (3), Los Angeles Lakers (3)
Michael Jordan
5
1988, ’91, ’92, ’96, ’98
Chicago Bulls
Bill Russell
5
1958, ’61, ’62, ’63, ’65
Boston Celtics
LeBron James
4
2009, ’10, ’12, ’13
Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat
Wilt Chamberlain
4
1960, ’66’, ’67, ’68
Philadelphia/Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers
Nikola Jokic
3
2021, ’22, ’24
Denver Nuggets
Larry Bird
3
1984, ’85, ’86
Boston Celtics
Magic Johnson
3
1987, ’89, ’90
Los Angeles Lakers
Moses Malone
3
1979, ’82, ’83
Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers
Giannis Antetokounmpo
2
2019, ’20
Milwaukee Bucks
Stephen Curry
2
2015, ’16
Golden State Warriors
Tim Duncan
2
2002, ’03
San Antonio Spurs
Steve Nash
2
2005, ’06
Phoenix Suns
Karl Malone
2
1997, ’99
Utah Jazz
Bob Pettit
2
1956, ’59
Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Abdul-Jabbar still holds the NBA record for the most MVP titles won in his career with six. He won his first MVP award in 1971 during his third year in the league with the Milwaukee Bucks, then won two more while with the team. He won an additional three MVPs with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Abdul-Jabbar left a lasting impact on the NBA, the Bucks and the Lakers after he retired. He's a member of the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, his No. 33 is retired by both the Bucks and the Lakers and he's regarded as one of the best players to ever play the game. He's a six-time NBA champion and a 19-time All-Star, the second most appearances of any player in NBA history. He held the NBA all-time scoring title with 38,387 career points until LeBron James passed him in Feb. 2023.
Michael Jordan
Jordan is often regarded as the "greatest of all-time" when it comes to basketball, and he has five NBA MVP titles to help his case. He won all five with the Chicago Bulls, on top of leading the team to six NBA titles. Four out of his five MVP awards lined up with the Bulls winning the NBA title (excluding his 1988 award).
Jordan will forever be regarded as one of the "GOATs" of the NBA. The Pro Basketball Hall of Famer finished his career with six NBA titles and six NBA Finals MVP awards along with 14 All-Star bids. His No. 23 is retired by the Bulls.
Bill Russell
Russell won all his NBA MVP awards with the Boston Celtics, even winning three in a row from 1961 to '63. Russell won a record 11 NBA titles during his career. His legacy is so impactful that his No. 6 was retired league-wide by the NBA. The Pro Basketball Hall of Famer died in 2022.
LeBron James
James won two of his MVP awards with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the other two with the Miami Heat. The two he won with the Heat in 2012 and '13 lined up with the team winning a pair of NBA titles and him winning the Finals MVP awards. He's gone on to win two more NBA titles (one with the Cavaliers in his second tenure there and the other with the Lakers), but he hasn't won another MVP award.
Even though he's still competing, James is considered one of the "G.O.A.T.s" of the game. He continues to build upon his legacy as he just finished his 22nd year in his career.
Wilt Chamberlain
Chamberlain won his first MVP award during his rookie season in 1959–60, and he remains just one of two players to ever accomplish this. He was competing for the Philadelphia Warriors at the time, before their move to California. He captured his other three MVP awards in three consecutive years with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Chamberlain is regarded as one of the best to ever play basketball, and he's considered one of the greatest centers of all-time. The Pro Basketball Hall of Famer was a seven-time NBA scoring leader, 11-time rebounding champion and 13-time All-Star. His No. 13 was retired by the Warriors, 76ers and Lakers, where he ended his NBA career.
Teams With the Most NBA MVP Awards
Team
Number of MVPs
Players
Years
Boston Celtics
10
Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, David Cowens
1957, ’58, ’61, ’62, ’63, ’65, ’73, ’84, ’85, ’86
Los Angeles Lakers
8
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant
1976, ’77, ’80, ’87, ’89, ’90, 2000, ’08
Philadelphia 76ers
7
Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Allen Iverson, Joel Embiid
1966, ’67, ’68, ’81, ’83, 2001, ’23
Chicago Bulls
6
Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose
1988, ’91, ’92, ’96, ’98, 2011
Milwaukee Bucks
5
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1971, ’72, ’74, 2019 ’20
Houston Rockets
4
Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, James Harden
1979, ’82, ’94, 2018
San Antonio Spurs
3
Tim Duncan, David Robinson
1995, 2002, ’03
Denver Nuggets
3
Nikola Jokic
2021, ’22, ’24
Golden State Warriors
3
Stephen Curry, Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors)
1960, 2015, ’16
Phoenix Suns
3
Charles Barkley, Steve Nash
1993, 2005, ’06
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics not only have the most NBA titles (18), but their players have also won a total of 10 MVP awards, which is the most in league history. Bill Russell leads the charge there with five MVPs won in Boston. Larry Bird won three of his own with the Celtics. Bob Cousy (1957) and David Cowens (1973) both won one each.
Los Angeles Lakers
Four Lakers have won the MVP award in the franchise's history, for a total of eight. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won three of his record six MVPs while with the Lakers. Magic Johnson won all three of his in Los Angeles. Then Shaquille O'Neal (2000) and Kobe Bryant (2008) both won one MVP each with the team.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers hold the record for the most different players to win the MVP award while members of the team, with five players winning seven total MVPs. Wilt Chamberlain was the only player to win more than one MVP with the 76ers as he won three out of his four there. Julius Erving, Moses Malone (who also won two with the Houston Rockets), Allen Iverson and Joel Embiid all have won as 76ers.
Franchise Icons With Multiple MVPs
From the lists above, it's interesting to note which players ended up sticking with one franchise throughout their NBA career, something that's been seen more as a rarity in recent years.
Michael Jordan is the player who fans may think of the most when considering NBA players who have won multiple MVPs with the same team. He won all five of his MVPs (which puts him tied for second for most all-time) with the Chicago Bulls. He helped build arguably the best NBA dynasty in history in Chicago during the 1990s, winning six NBA titles in that span.
Bill Russell, one of the NBA's greatest pioneers, won all five of his MVPs with the Celtics. He helped Boston become the dominant force in the NBA for over a decade as he was part of 11 championship-winning Celtics rosters. Russell is one of the all-time great players in Boston and NBA history.
Larry Bird also won all three of his MVPs with Boston, the only team he ever played for. He added to the Celtics' record of 18 NBA titles by winning three while he was with the team. He was one of the NBA's biggest stars in the 1980s, and he continues to be one of the most recognizable players in league history.
It's hard to speak about Bird without bringing up Magic Johnson, who was notably Bird's rival during the 1980s. Johnson won all three of his MVPs with the Lakers immediately after Bird won his three consecutive MVPs. Johnson helped lead L.A. to five NBA titles, establishing one of the Lakers' great dynasties.
More recently, Nikola Jokic added his name to this list of greats by winning his third MVP title with the Nuggets. Jokic has been a dominant force in the league in the past five years alone. He helped Denver win their first franchise NBA title in 2023, and he continues to be one of the biggest names in the league each year.
MVPs Won Across Multiple Franchises
Most players compete for multiple teams in their careers, especially in the modern NBA. But, there's only a few players who have ever won MVP awards while competing for different teams.
LeBron James may come first to mind for many NBA fans as he's won titles with three organizations now. His four MVP awards came with just two of the teams, though—the Heat and Cavaliers. He nearly won five in a row, missing out in 2011 when Derrick Rose won with the Bulls. So, while James spent time jumping between different organizations, he was still able to come out on top at the end of the season.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar is most often linked with the Lakers, but he did win three of his MVP titles with the Bucks early in his career, before winning his other three with the Lakers.
Moses Malone won his three MVPs while playing for the Rockets and the 76ers. He did something pretty awesome, actually, by winning the 1982 award with the Rockets and then followed it up with capturing the '83 award with the 76ers. Even James didn't win back-to-back MVP awards for two different teams.
Wilt Chamberlain is an exception here as he won his first MVP award while Philadelphia was home to the Warriors franchise. He won his remaining three MVPs still in Philadelphia, but instead with the 76ers.