Who votes on NBA Finals MVP? Breaking down voting process in 2024 and revisiting award winners by year

To the victor goes the spoils. And few hauls prove as consequential — both for the result and the leagues of those involved in the contest — as the Finals MVP.

Some of basketball's finest talents have held up the trophy, from Jerry West and Wes Unseld to Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Many haven't. Such is the nature of basketball's top individual prize, a reflection of a player's mastery of the sport in the most trying circumstances.

It's as important of an award as there is in NBA circles. But how does the winner get selected? The Sporting News takes you through the voting process for the NBA Finals MVP.

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Who votes on NBA Finals MVP?

The NBA Finals MVP has been awarded at the conclusion of each season's NBA Finals since it was first introduced in 1969. A panel of 11 media members vote on the award, casting their ballot at the end of the final game of the series. The player who garners the most votes takes home the prize.

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NBA Finals MVP voting results example

Back in 2015, Andre Iguodala won the Finals MVP award after the Warriors defeated LeBron James and the Cavaliers, a result that still sparks debates among fans and media members to this day.

Some critics argued that Stephen Curry deserved to win the award, but he didn't receive a single vote.

Here is a breakdown of the results:

• Hubie Brown (ESPN) — Iguodala
• Sam Amick (then of USA Today, now with The Athletic) — Iguodala
• Ken Berger (then of CBSSports.com) — Iguodala
• Jason Lloyd (then of the Akron Beacon Journal, now with The Athletic) — Iguodala
• Marc Spears (then of Yahoo Sports, now with ESPN’s Andscape) — Iguodala
• Marc Stein (then of ESPN.com, now on Substack) — Iguodala
• Rusty Simmons (then with the San Francisco Chronicle) — Iguodala
• Jeff Van Gundy (then of ESPN) — James
• Zach Lowe (then of Grantland, now with ESPN) — James
• Steve Aschburner (NBA.com) — James
• Howard Beck (then with Bleacher Report, now with The Ringer) — James
• Totals: Iguodala (7), James (4)

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Full list of NBA Finals MVP award winners

Michael Jordan has received the most Finals MVP nods in league history, taking home the award six times. He's followed by LeBron James, who has nabbed the honor four times — two with the Heat, one with the Cavaliers and, most recently, one with the Lakers. He's the only player in NBA history who has won the award with three different teams.

Jerry West remains the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP while being on the losing team. James came close in 2015 when he received four votes to Andre Iguodala's seven.

The most recent winner of the award was Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who garnered unanimous praise for his performance against the Heat in last year's Finals after putting up averages of 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists per contest.