NBA MVP List by Year (NBA Most Valuable Player) Award Winners

The NBA MVP List, featuring recipients of the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award, is now accessible online. This prestigious award, presented annually by the NBA since the 1955–56 season, recognizes the top-performing player of the regular season. Starting from the 2022–23 season, winners are honored with the Michael Jordan Trophy, named after the five-time MVP widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

Before 2021, the accolade was bestowed as the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, named in tribute to the NBA’s first commissioner (then president) Maurice Podoloff, who served from 1946 to 1963. Following the transition to the Michael Jordan Trophy, Podoloff’s name was transferred to a new trophy presented to the team with the best regular season record. Initially, up to the 1979–80 season, NBA players voted for the MVP. Since the 1980–81 season, the award’s recipient is determined by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters from the United States and Canada.

Remarkably, every player who has won the NBA MVP and has been eligible for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has been inducted. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record for the most wins with six MVP titles. Bill Russell and Michael Jordan each earned the award five times, while Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James have secured the honor four times.

NBA MVP List (All Time)