Only one player in NBA history has won more than three Finals MVP awards — Michael Jordan has six, having earned the award during each of the six championship series he won with the Bulls.
Lakers forward LeBron James, one of four players to have been named Finals MVP three times, has a chance to win the award for a fourth time this year against Miami. And the odds are in his favor.
As we noted on Tuesday, the Lakers are fairly heavily favored to win this year’s Finals. And James, who has been named MVP each of the last three times his team has won a title, is the odds-on favorite to earn the award again if the Lakers win this year. At BetOnline.ag, he’s listed at -165 for Finals MVP, meaning you’d have to risk $165 to earn a $100 profit on a winning bet.
If you expect the Lakers to win this year’s championship, James is the safe bet. He finished second in 2019/20 regular-season MVP voting, and is leading the Lakers in a number of postseason statistics, including 10.3 RPG and 8.9 APG.
However, LeBron isn’t the only superstar on his team. Anthony Davis has been the Lakers’ leading scorer during the playoffs, with 28.8 RPG on .571/.366/.810 shooting — all of those percentages are better than James’ shooting rates. And it’s Davis who is considered the anchor of Los Angeles’ stout defense, having finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting this season. So even if the Lakers win this year’s title, it could be Davis, not James, that takes home the Finals MVP award.
Of course, if the Lakers can’t defeat the Heat, the odds of LeBron earning Finals MVP honors fall off drastically. James received some votes for the award back in 2015, when he averaged 35.8 PPG, 13.3 RPG, and 8.8 APG in a losing cause. But even then, with no clear-cut choice on the Warriors, losing the series meant losing out on the Finals MVP award. Andre Iguodala, whose numbers (16.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.0 APG) were pedestrian by comparison to LeBron, received more MVP votes.
In other words, if you expect Miami to pull off the upset, it’s safe to assume your Finals MVP pick will be a member of the Heat, whether it’s Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, or someone else.
What do you think? Will LeBron make history by becoming the second player in NBA history to win a fourth Finals MVP award? Or will he be beaten out for this year’s award by a teammate – presumably Davis – or a Heat player?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Media votes on it so no way LeBron doesn’t get it if Lakers win unless AD is completely on another level.
It would be pretty awkward to lose the finals and then still stand up there to get the finals MVP.
In theory winning shouldn’t matter but in practice I’m glad it does.
i dont think that ever happen. how can you be a MVP if your team lost.
It has happened, it was decades ago.
Jerry west
it can go either way with the MVP. lakers have win first lets not get a head of our self
Heat win in Seven. Jimmy Butler MVP
LeBron will win it . AD is not ready to be the man in the finals
No
I want to know when the rest of the NBA will get tired of LeBron winning. NO helped out LeBron by trading AD to LA. Love was traded to Cavs. Why are teams running to help out LeBron constantly. If I’m tired of LeBron winning most teams should be too. I do blame Danny Ainge for not increasing a trade offer for AD. Boston has had so many picks and players to get someone. If your not trading your assets for AD then who??
New Orleans picked up ingram who became an all star, Josh hart and lonzo ball.. plus picks. Lakers paid to get AD.. t wolves got Wiggins who at the time was can’t miss for love.. love had never been on a winning team. Ainge would’ve probably needed to include Tatum and either smart or brown to get Ad froM Pelicans just for salary cap purposes.. you don’t trade tatum.. he’s gonna be a killer..
That logic is why the Spurs ended up with Demar DeRozen for Kawhi instead of Ingram, Ball and picks. They would have been so much better off taking that package but nah can’t deal with the Lakers. New Orleans did whats best for their franchise. They could care less if the Lakers win it this year. AD was leaving in free agency no matter what.
If I’m NO I still would of demanded Kuzma instead of Hart and if LA says No way then I trade him somewhere else.
As a laker fan, I’d rather have hart then kuzma.. hart plays d and shoots 35% from 3..
New Orleans is set up for the future.. Ad or no Ad, they have a young stacked team with zion and ingram.. the lakers needed to trade ingram because he would’ve gotten a max.. so you rather have ingram for the max or Ad of you are the lakers.. it was a trade that was win win for both franchises.. I’m not sold on lonzo.. he just doesn’t seem to care to put in the work to be great.. he’s ok coasting.. he will be very good this year cause his rookie contract is coming up..but that’s so he can get paid..
Because ratings brings dollars. Always follow the Money. But Bron is really that good lol.
AD will win the MVP, he has been consistently the best player in the league for the last 5-6 years!
At the moment he is only averaging 29PPG, I think in the finals he will go over 30PPG!
Also he will totally stop Bam, meanwhile he will be unstoppable, will destroy Bam & MIA!
Anthony Davis hasn’t even been the best player out his draft class over the last 5 or 6 years.
@chucktoad1 terrible take ad is better than anyone in that draft class unless you mean draymond getting carried to 3 rings lillard has done little as with beal. Ad is mvp caliber and two way beast
Bam is gonna get double teamed by ad Dwight and bron. He will be in foul trouble and be irrelevant
I voted for a Heat player. It’s 25-18, LAL starting to come back, but I’m very optimistic for Miami after 9min of game 1 action.
Still optimistic? Lakers were up 30 lol heat are outmatched and just goes to show how weak the East truly is.
Lol not as much. Spolstra and company are going to need to show me something real quick – otherwise you LA folk might be breaking out the brooms, based on how the other 39 minutes looked
AD will have great numbers but LeBron will average a triple double or close to it and will win it. If he doesn’t win this still will not hurt his legacy