NBA Players With Most MVP Awards in Career

Bill Sharman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jack Kent Cooke at press conference announcing Lakers' signing Kareem in Los Angeles.
(Wikimedia Commons/Los Angeles Times)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has earned the most MVP awards in the history of the NBA, with six.

Michael Jordan and Bill Russell are not far off, as they won five MVPs. LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain were each named MVPs four times.

Which Players Have Won 3 NBA MVP Awards in a Row?

Bill Russell (1960-63), Wilt Chamberlain (1965-68) and Larry Bird (1983-86) are the only three players to have won MVPs three straight times.

Nikola Jokic could join that group. Heโ€™s among the leaders in the NBA MVP race this season and won the last two awards in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Has a Player Won NBA MVP With a Losing Record?

Bob Pettit (1955-56) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1975-76) are the two players in the history of the NBA to become MVPs after their teams had losing records.ย 

The St. Louis Hawks were 33-39 the year Pettit won MVP, and the Lakers were 40-42 when Abdul-Jabbar earned that accolade.

NBA Players With Most MVP Awards

RankPlayerMVPs
1Kareem Abdul-Jabbar6
2 (tie)Michael Jordan5
2 (tie)Bill Russell5
4 (tie)LeBron James4
4 (tie)Wilt Chamberlain4
6 (tie)Larry Bird3
6 (tie)Magic Johnson3
6 (tie)Moses Malone3
9 (tie)Nikola Jokic2
9 (tie)Giannis Antetokounmpo2
9 (tie)Stephen Curry2
9 (tie)Tim Duncan2
9 (tie)Steve Nash2
9 (tie)Karl Malone2
9 (tie)Bob Pettit2

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