NBA Players From Losing Finals Teams Who Deserved to Win Finals MVP

Image courtesy of x.com.

By Sam Bergstrom

In 1969, the National Basketball Association introduced the Finals MVP award. This award is granted to the player who shows the most value to their team during a championship series. Despite the Boston Celtics defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1969 NBA Finals, the NBA awarded the Finals MVP to Jerry West—a member of the losing Lakers. Strangely, this made West the first and—so far—only player to do this. Every Finals MVP trophy since then has been awarded to a player on the winning team. This raises the question, have there been any players on the losing side of the ball who were robbed of this award? Here are the four players I think you could make a very strong case for. 

Image courtesy of hardwoodhoudini.com.

#4: Luka Dončić (2024 Finals vs. Boston Celtics) 

Dončić Stats:  29.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 5.6 APG, 2.6 SPG, 47.2% FG 

Jaylen Brown Stats: 20.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5 APG, 1.6 SPG, 44% FG (Won MVP) 
The 2024 NBA Finals was not the most exciting series. Most of the games were comfortable Boston victories, but I still admire how Dončić fought every game to give Dallas Mavericks fans (and Celtics haters) any kind of hope. During the 5-game-series, Dončić was hitting shots from all over the floor while using his slick ball handling skills to carve his way through Boston’s defense. He also took a whopping 41 more shots than Jaylen Brown—the real finals MVP winner—and still shot more efficiently than him. This gutsy performance of Luka’s won over the hearts of every Mavericks fan. It also left them all the more heartbroken when Dallas inexplicably traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers the next season.

Image courtesy of thegruelingtruth.com.

#3: Andrew Toney (1982 Finals vs. Los Angeles Lakers) 

Toney Stats:: 26 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 7.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 52.9% FG 

Magic Johnson Stats: 16.2 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 8 APG, 2.5 SPG, 53.3% FG (Won MVP) 

Andrew Toney is definitely one of the more underrated players in NBA history. In the 1982 Finals, Toney was very efficient with his killer mid range jumpshot, and his 31 point performance in Game 5 was critical in helping the Philadelphia 76ers force a Game 6 against the star-studded “Showtime” Lakers. What is most impressive about Toney’s Finals performance was how well he distributed the ball, averaging nearly eight assists per game. This is incredibly hard to do as a shooting guard, especially considering he was not the main ball handler. This combination of high volume scoring and selfless play gave Toney value that I believe goes beyond winning and losing.

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#2: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1974 Finals vs. Boston Celtics) 

Abdul-Jabbar Stats: 32.6 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 5.4 APG, 2.1 BPG, 52.4% FG 

John Havlicek Stats: 26.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.9 SPG, 42.9% FG (Won MVP) 

Many recognize Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a primary figure of the Lakers’ championship dynasty during the 1980s. However, people forget just how dominant he was with the Milwaukee Bucks, and it showed during their 1974 Finals matchup with the Boston Celtics. Kareem’s most impressive highlight came during his 34 point Game 6 performance. With seven seconds left in double overtime, Abdul-Jabbar let his signature skyhook fly, hitting the game winner and forcing Game 7 (pictured above). John Havlicek played well during this series, but Kareem was simply the most dominant player in terms of scoring, shooting efficiency, rebounding, and protecting the paint.

Image courtesy of thegruelingtruth.com.

#1: LeBron James (2015 Finals vs. Golden State Warriors) 

James Stats: 35.8 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 8.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 39.8% FG, 

Andre Iguodala Stats: 16.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 52.1% FG (Won MVP)

While Andre Iguodala’s defense and playmaking were admirable during this series, it is hard to argue that LeBron James did not deserve to win Finals MVP. With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love—James’ two best teammates—out because of injury, the Cleveland Cavaliers were put in a vulnerable position during this Finals matchup. To have any chance at winning the title, LeBron had to go all out, score at will, and hope to subdue a stacked Golden State Warriors team. He almost did it, too. The short-handed Cavs went up 2-1 in the series, but they could not keep up with Golden State’s elite offense. Despite losing in six games, LeBron averaged a near 36 point triple double — an unfathomable statline. It is one of the best performances we’ll ever see in a Finals series, and it shows how determined James was to bring a title to his hometown of Cleveland.