Established
1969
The award given to the player who is deemed the most valuable player during the annual NBA Finals. The official name of the award is the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. It is named after Hall of Famer Bill Russell, who won 11 NBA championships, but never received the Finals MVP award as it wasn't introduced until 1968-69, Russell's final year in the league.
Jerry West received the inaugural NBA finals MVP award despite the fact that his Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics during the 1968-69 Finals. Every award recipient since then has been a member of the team that won the NBA Finals.
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