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Who won Finals MVP in 2026? Full voting results, stats, list of NBA award winners originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Knicks have reached the mountaintop, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the NBA Finals to secure their first championship in 53 years.
Led by Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, who scored 45 points in the Game 5 clincher, the Knicks rolled through the Eastern Conference and at one point won 13-straight games, making the team worthy of being called champions. While the Spurs were themselves a tough opponent who played New York close, it was the Knicks' ability to succeed in crunch time that earned them several victories during the series.
This was a true team series win, as different players played the role of hero throughout the series. Therefore, when it comes to candidates for the Finals MVP award, there were a few options in play, but one name stood above the rest as the best choice to take home the award.
Here's a breakdown of why Brunson was named 2026 NBA Finals MVP.
Who won NBA Finals MVP?
Jalen Brunson didn't have the best series, as the Spurs defense stifled him for much of the NBA Finals, but the Knicks star still rose to the occasion when it mattered to secure the NBA Finals MVP award. Brunson scored at least 30 points in three/four of the five games in the NBA Finals, which included helping close out comebacks in both Games 1 and 4.
On the series, Brunson averaged 32.6 points, but his impact was especially felt in the fourth quarter. Through the first four games of this series, Brunson averaged more fourth-quarter points than any player in the NBA Finals since the 1996-97 season, and he only added to that total during Game 5.
Even with Brunson's inefficiency, he was still the focal point of the Knicks' offense and required the Spurs defense to zero in on him. The point guard's ability to make difficult shots means he solved a tough Spurs defense late in games, especially as he led a 29-point comeback in Game 4.
Game 5 was a Brunson masterclass. The Knicks star scored a mind-blowing 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting. He willed the Knicks to yet another comeback and emphatically ended the franchise's 53-year championship drought. Brunson's performance elevated him to rare air in New York sports history and will go down as one of the best Finals performances of all time.
Ultimately, Brunson won this award because he is simply the best player on the team that won the NBA Finals. OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns both had cases to win the award, but Brunson is the Knicks closer and closed the Spurs out in three of the four victories in the series.
2026 Finals MVP voting
This section will be updated
Why is Finals MVP named after Bill Russell?
The NBA named the Finals MVP award after Bill Russell in 2009 even though Russell himself never actually won it when he played. That's because Russell has 11 championships from his playing days and would have certainly won the Finals MVP award many times in his career. In fact, the first time the NBA handed this award was in 1969, when Russell's Celtics won but the Lakers' Jerry West won the award in a losing effort.
Russell is one of the best players in NBA history, so the NBA wanted to honor him in a special way. In fact, Russell is tied for the winningest player among the four major North American sports, with the NHL's Henri Richard being the only player to match Russell's 11 titles.
Complete history of Finals MVPs winners
Brunson joins Willis Reed as the only players in Knicks history to win the NBA Finals MVP award, as Reed did so twice in 1970 and 1973. The NBA first handed out the award in 1960, making Reed the second ever recipient of the award and the first player to win it twice.
Here's a look at everyone who has won NBA Finals MVP.
| Year | Player | Team |
| 2026 | Jalen Brunson | New York Knicks |
| 2025 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2024 | Jaylen Brown | Boston Celtics |
| 2023 | Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets |
| 2022 | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors |
| 2021 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2020 | LeBron James | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2019 | Kawhi Leonard | Toronto Raptors |
| 2018 | Kevin Durant | Golden State Warriors |
| 2017 | Kevin Durant | Golden State Warriors |
| 2016 | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2015 | Andre Iguodala | Golden State Warriors |
| 2014 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2013 | LeBron James | Miami Heat |
| 2012 | LeBron James | Miami Heat |
| 2011 | Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2010 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2009 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2008 | Paul Pierce | Boston Celtics |
| 2007 | Tony Parker | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2006 | Dwyane Wade | Miami Heat |
| 2005 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2004 | Chauncey Billups | Detroit Pistons |
| 2003 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2002 | Shaquille O'Neal | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2001 | Shaquille O'Neal | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2000 | Shaquille O'Neal | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1999 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1998 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1997 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1996 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1995 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets |
| 1994 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets |
| 1993 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1992 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1991 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1990 | Isiah Thomas | Detroit Pistons |
| 1989 | Joe Dumars | Detroit Pistons |
| 1988 | James Worthy | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1987 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1986 | Larry Bird | Boston Celtics |
| 1985 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1984 | Larry Bird | Boston Celtics |
| 1983 | Moses Malone | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1982 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1981 | Cedric Maxwell | Boston Celtics |
| 1980 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1979 | Dennis Johnson | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1978 | Wes Unseld | Washington Bullets |
| 1977 | Bill Walton | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1976 | Jo Jo White | Boston Celtics |
| 1975 | Rick Barry | Golden State Warriors |
| 1974 | John Havlicek | Boston Celtics |
| 1973 | Willis Reed | New York Knicks |
| 1972 | Wilt Chamberlain | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1971 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1970 | Willis Reed | New York Knicks |
| 1969 | Jerry West | Los Angeles Lakers |
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