The National Basketball Association (NBA) annually honors the most valuable players (MVPs) of both of its conference finals.[1] 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.[2] 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.[1][3][4] The inaugural recipients were Jayson Tatum (Eastern Conference), and Stephen Curry (Western Conference).
| Awarded for | Most valuable player of the NBA conference finals |
|---|---|
| Presented by | National Basketball Association |
| History | |
| First award | 2022: Steph Curry & Jayson Tatum |
| Most recent | 2024: Jaylen Brown (East) 2024: Luka Dončić (West) |
Winners
edit| ^ | Denotes player who is still active in the NBA |
Eastern Conference
edit| 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 (2) |
Western Conference
edit| Year | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Stephen Curry^ | Guard | United States
|
Golden State Warriors |
| 2023 | Nikola Jokic^ | Center |  Serbia
|
Denver Nuggets |
| 2024 | Luka Dončić^ | Guard |  Slovenia
|
Dallas Mavericks |
Teams
edit| Awards | Teams | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Boston Celtics | 2022, 2024 |
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 2022 |
| Miami Heat | 2023 | |
| Denver Nuggets | 2023 | |
| Dallas Mavericks | 2024 |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b Feldman, Dan (May 12, 2022). "NBA to name conference finals MVPs". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ "NBA introduces new lineup of postseason hardware featuring an evolution of the Larry O'Brien Trophy" (Press release). NBA. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ Goldsberry, Kirk (May 12, 2022). "NBA unveils new trophies, awards honoring Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ Lynch, Mike (May 26, 2022). "The NBA's Conference Finals MVP Award Is New This Year. But What If We Had Always Had It?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved May 28, 2022.