NBA Finals MVPs From the Last 10 Years Receiving the Trophy | 2014-2023

The fans of San Antonio know how great you are, and now the whole world does. You are the 2014 Bill Russell MVP. Kawhi Leonard, if I had told you when the NBA Finals began that you would be the most valuable player of this series, you would have said what? Uh, man, I would have told you I was lying or something. But, uh, right now it's just surreal to me. I had a great group of guys behind me just pushing me, just wanting me to be aggressive in the game, and they just helped me out. Now, everybody knows the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have a big three. Why were you the guy in this finals? Uh, man, I'm not sure. I guess I just, uh, you know, they seen I have the talent. I could go out there every night. And they just told me I got to keep being aggressive every night for us to win this series. Uh, they all pushed me because Pop pushed me. The fans pushed me. And I just want to thank God, my parents, and everybody. It's okay to smile now, Kawhi. Say that again. It's okay to smile now. Man, it's all surreal to me right now. Well, congratulations. Kawhi Leonard is the youngest Finals MVP since 1999. It could have been a lot of these guys, but there can only be one MVP. And this year's MVP is a player who didn't start in a single game until these Finals. This year's Bill Russell MVP, Andre Iguodala. The commissioner just mentioned it. 758 straight games in your career you started. In what way did your sacrifice of coming off the bench embody the spirit of this entire group? Um, we got a team full of believers. We all go to chapel before every game. We all believe, and we all say God has a way for you, a purpose for you. This is my purpose. And I accepted it, and I got great teammates. Steph, I want to be just like Steph when I grow up. Just a God-fearing man, great guy. There's a set of young eyes on you right here. Can you describe what it's like to hold that, be a champion, and have your son standing right here? Man, so much. This is my man. My boo-boo London at home. Oh, man, this is great. We're going to remember this for a long time. Congratulations, Andre. Two years ago, he wrote a letter to his fans in which he said, I'm coming home. And he said, nothing is given to you in Northeast Ohio. Everything is earned. And, LeBron, it was unanimous. Most valuable player, 2016 NBA Finals. Congratulations. LeBron, in that letter that Adam Silver referenced, you said the most important thing to you was to bring a championship to Northeast Ohio. Why was that so important? I understood what the people of Northeast Ohio have been through the last 50-plus years. I kept it at bay. I never stressed the fact that I didn't feel the pressure, none of those things, so it always kept me level-headed. But I understood what everyone in Northeast Ohio has been through the last 50-plus years. And I'm happy to be a part of history. I can't wait to get back home. I'm ready to get to you guys. I've had so many playing in their first NBA Finals to come out and win on this floor. We've been through so much adversity these last two years. I just knew what we were capable of, even being down 3-1 versus the greatest regular season team ever. 73-9. Everybody counted us out, and that's when we strived the most, when everybody counted us out. And that's definitely when I strived the most, when everybody counted me out. LeBron, you won two titles in Miami, and I know they meant the world to you. Why does this one feel different? I'm home. This is what I came back for. I'm at a loss for words. This is unbelievable. It doesn't feel real right now. Congratulations, LeBron. Thank you, Doris. Thank you so much. In his 10th year in the league, he's been a perennial All-Star. He's been the league MVP, but he's never been the Finals MVP. You're Bill Russell, 2017 Finals MVP, Kevin Durant. Kevin, your basketball resume when you arrived here already read multi-time scoring champion, NBA MVP, but now it will read NBA champion and Finals MVP. Why are those things important to you? It's a team sport, you know, and we want to achieve the highest honor in the team sport, which is winning a championship. And to do it with these guys is amazing, in front of these fans, man. You guys were great tonight. We needed it. We're champs now. I appreciate it. You took your share of criticism, but you said win or lose, you had made the right decision. What have you found with this particular group of guys here in Golden State? It's just a great group of guys, great community, great arena, great fans. I'm just so happy to be a part of it, man. I can't wait to celebrate with my teammates in the locker room. You talk about your mom and the influence she's had. We'll give you one final opportunity to maybe express some sentiments to her here. We did it. I told you when I was 8 years old, we did it. Yeah. Congratulations. Bill, thank you for being here to help me present the Bill Russell MVP trophy. And this year, the back-to-back NBA Finals MVP, Kevin Durant. Kevin, only six times in history has a player gone back-to-back MVP. And I know you take such incredible pride in your craft and the work you put into this. But how much of this is about more than just the winning and the titles and these individual accolades for you? This is about the journey. All season, man, getting up every day, going to work with these guys. It was amazing. The environment is incredible. It's good for you to be around guys like this. It helps you become a better basketball player and a better man. It's a journey that's better than a destination. I'm happy I'm a part of this group. You have had to go through a man you have professed incredible respect for and has been a great champion in his own right, LeBron James. So can you give us some sense of two great players going at it head-to-head in this particular kind of environment? It's fun. It's fun. The competition, when you play against one of the best, it brings the best out of you as well. It brought the best out of our team. I'm just grateful we got back-to-back championships and looking forward to going celebrating in the locker room right now, actually. Go do it. Thank you, Kevin. Of course, here with Bill Russell on the 50th anniversary of your 11th and final championship, thank you for being here. And our MVP, following an iconic buzzer beater and a dominant performance in the finals, your 2019 Bill Russell Finals MVP is Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi, congratulations. Kawhi, throughout the course of this series, you touched on the fact that a year ago you were not playing basketball and you had to make your way to a new city with new teammates, but one thing that never seemed to waver was your poise and your confidence. What gives you that steely resolve? Oh, man. Just life experiences. My teammates, they did a great job of welcoming me with open arms. The management, they just told me to come out and play basketball. I'm a guy that just tries to not get too high or too low, and it worked out. It worked out. You join, I know you make it very clear that you are about winning and not records nor anything else, but tonight, by winning your second MVP of the finals with a different team, you join select company, Kareem and LeBron James. As you let that sink in, what crosses your mind? Man, last summer, man, I was going through a lot. I was going through a lot, and I had a great support system. I just kept working hard, working hard, and had my mind set on this goal right here. I came to a team, a new coach, that mindset was the same as mine, trying to get that Larry OB over there. This is what I play basketball for. This is what I work out for all summer during the season, and I'm happy that my hard work paid off. I know you're going to celebrate this, but I know Jurassic Park, 37 million people, the men behind you, you have such an important decision looming. How does a championship shape what you have in front of you? I'm about to enjoy this with my teammates and coaches, and I'll think about that later. As you should. Congratulations. And I have a feeling that this finals MVP is going to have a trophy named after him one day. The finals MVP is LeBron James. Well, you're stuck with him. LeBron, congratulations. You said the other day, and I want to read this to get it exactly right. Lakers fans, quote, don't give a damn about what you've done before. When you become a Laker, you've got to do it with them as well. Well, you have done it, LeBron. What does it mean to you? It means a lot. It means a lot to represent this franchise. Jeannie, I told Jeannie when I came here that I was going to put this franchise back in the position where it belongs. Her late great father did it for so many years, and she just took it on after that. And for me to be a part of such a historical franchise is an unbelievable feeling, not only for myself, but for my teammates, for the organization, for the coaches, for the trainers, everybody that's here. We just want our respect. Rob wants his respect. Coach Vogel wants his respect. Our organization wants their respect. Laker Nation wants their respect. And I want my damn respect, too. Franchises, extremely elite company, and in year 17 as well. You've got a guy in your ear right now telling you're the greatest of all time. You're just a couple months shy of your 36th birthday. Yeah. Is this the longest prime in the history of professional sports? I don't know. I'm going to let you guys talk about it. One thing I can do is commit to the game. I put myself and my body and my mind in position to be available to my teammates. I've never missed a playoff game in my career, and the best thing you can do for your teammates is be available. And for me to be available to my teammates and put in the work, I just hope I make my guys proud. And that's all that matters to me. I make my guys proud, make the fan base proud, my family back home. I can't wait to get back home to them. Akron, Ohio, we did it again, and, you know, that's what it's all about. Incredibly close partnership with the guy over there to your left. What can you say about the way you two worked together to get this trophy here tonight? I mean, it's easy. It's easy. I said it in the presser before. We have no ego. We want the best from each other every single day, both off the floor, on and off the floor. And I know what it means to have seven years where you feel like that you can't get over the hump. You know, I had seven years, my first in Cleveland. I felt like I couldn't get over the hump. I felt like I needed some help. I felt like I needed someone to push me. And that's when I was able to go to Miami and get pushed by D. Wade and Bosh and that franchise. And so to be able to get him and we push him and let him know how great he is, but just making him see better basketball and better to be a part of something that's special, that's what it's all about. So to be able to put him where he is today, that means so much to me. And the fact that he trusts me means even more. You were very vocal coming in here that you weren't just trying to win a title in this bubble, but you wanted to be a real voice for social change in what has been one of the most turbulent years in American history. When you look back about what the entire NBA brotherhood did in this bubble, what will you think of? It's been unbelievable. We didn't know. It was unknown. But I thank Adam. I thank everybody from the NBA to NBPA putting this thing together, you know, and us using our voices, us being together. You know, you hear Golden State always use the phrase strength in numbers, and that's exactly what it was while we were here as the NBA, as the NBPA. All our players, everybody had a voice on what's going on in America. So we know we all want to see better days, and when we leave here, we've got to continue to push that, continue to push social injustice, continue to push for voter suppression, continue to push for police brutality, continue to push for everything that's the opposite of love. And I think if we can continue to do that, all of us, America will be a much better place, which we all love this country. LeBron, thank you so much for pushing against all of those things. Congratulations. Thank you. On that trophy in your hand. Appreciate it. I don't think there's much doubt, but he played through adversity. He played through injury. No doubt, given he was the two-time MVP in the league, this year's Bill Russell, finals MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. When you re-signed here, you said that you wanted to be a part of building a championship culture in Milwaukee for years to come. What does it mean to you to make good on that commitment in the city that drafted you? It means a lot. I want to thank Milwaukee for believing in me. You know, thank my teammates, man. They played hard every freaking game. You know, I trusted this team. I wanted to do it here in the city. I wanted to do it with these guys, so I'm happy. I'm happy that we're able to get it done. It is a rarity, Giannis, to be able to play eight years with a teammate, let alone win a championship together in those eight years. How would you describe what Chris Middleton means to you? Chris, you did it, huh? You ******* did it. You know, I'm happy. I'm happy, man. This guy doesn't really know how much he pushed me. He pushed me every day to be great. He pushes me every day to be great, man, and I'm happy that I can step on the floor with this guy and play every single game with these guys and the rest of the guys. But Chris especially, we've been together for eight years, and I'm happy that I was able to do it with him. I'm happy that I was able to do it with this team from Milwaukee. And like Coach Budd said, we've got to do it again. You've never been shy. That family is at the core of everything you do, and now you and two of your brothers are NBA champions. Woo! I'm just happy. I'm happy that, you know, a lot of people was making jokes last year when Kostas won his championship with the Lakers. And, you know, obviously the dinner table was awkward a little bit because he had the ring before me. But now me and Anthony have a ring too, so we're happy. We're ******* happy. Thank you, Giannis. Congratulations. Thank you. Chris Middleton. Now let's bring back Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum to present the 2022 Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. Thank you, Lisa. He's a four-time NBA champion, a two-time league MVP, a member of our 75th anniversary team, and for the first time ever, he's an NBA Finals MVP, the 2022 Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award goes to Stephen Curry. Steph, there's been a lot of talk about this. What does it mean to you to finally get this Finals MVP? It means we won. It means we took advantage of the opportunity to get back here. I mean, I hear all the conversations. I hear all the chatter. We hear all the chatter. At the end of the day, it's about what we do on the floor. Ain't got to talk about it, just got to go do it, and that's what this is about. You said it during our postgame interview just three seasons ago. You guys had the worst record in the league. At what point did you believe that you could be back up here? We always had a doubt, but you know how long the road is to get back here because of how hard it is to win on this level. Boss is a great team. Every team we played in the West is great teams. But we found a way to just get it done. Everybody on this stage had a part in this, from the front office, coaches, players. At the beginning of the year, what were they saying? We weren't even on the radar, and now we're here with two trophies, and it means a lot. Every championship journey is different. How would you describe this one? Just combining our championship pedigree and our experience with some fresh energy, some guys that are really hungry to take their next step. But we've built this for 10, 11 years, and that means a whole lot when you get to this stage because you know how to win, and everybody who's been a part of this knows what that's about. So this one hits different. This one hits different for sure. Congratulations to your staff. Where is Clay? This is the first Finals MVP trophy that we're giving out since Bill Russell's passing, and he'd be incredibly pleased. It's another center. This year's Bill Russell Finals MVP goes to Nikola Jotkic. Nikola, you've said that you never envisioned any of this for yourself, being an all-star, two-time MVP, and now a Finals MVP. But what does it mean to you to now just to be a champion, to be able to celebrate with your family? You know, A.G. said one really good thing. We are not winning for ourselves. We are winning for the guy next to us, and that's why this is even more, because I was winning for Jamal, Jamal was winning for A.G., and that's how it goes. This is a great group of people, a great group of teammates. Like I said, from the family, Kroenke, to Sparky and Gene, everything this year was amazing. What are you most proud of about this team? You know, we believe in each other, the relationship that we had. Yes, trophies and something, but I think we had some relationship that was going to be long, long, like even after we finish careers. Thank you, Nikola. Congratulations.