How difficult is it to be elected as a FMVP twice? Only 5 people in NBA history did it, Jordan is unique in 5 times

In 1969, in order to commend the players who performed best in the finals, the league established the Finals MVP, which is the FMVP award. After the finals every year, the NBA will invite 11 media representatives to form a voting group. These judges only represent their own ideas when voting, but after all, everyone is human, and many times they will inevitably be affected by some subjective factors. Therefore, there have been a lot of controversy over the issuance of FMVP in history.

For example, in the 2015 Finals, the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 4-2 in that round of the series. As the star of the game, Curry averaged 26 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists per game, but in the end, the FMVP was awarded to Iguodala, who averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The most important thing is that in the FMVP selection, even James, who was the loser, received some votes, but Curry did not have a single vote.

However, there are indeed reasons why Iguodala can be elected. After all, the Warriors only started the reversal after transferring him to the starting lineup. Before Iguodala played the starting lineup, the Warriors fell behind 1-2. Then he started and immediately helped the team win three games in a row to win the series. Although his data is not outstanding, his consumption of James on the defensive end is still very critical.

Therefore, those players who can be elected as FMVP unanimously are the best players with no controversy, but since the establishment of FMVP, only 5 players have achieved this feat. Let’s take a look at who is among them!

5. Hakeim Olajuwon (2 times)

Average of 26.9 points and 9.1 rebounds in the 1994 Finals

Average of 32.8 points and 12.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists and 2 steals and 2 blocks in the 1st round in 1984, Olajuwon beat Jordan and Barkley and other strong players in the first round, and accumulated enough in the early stage of his career. After experience, in the 1990s, Olajuwon had the opportunity to reach the top. In 1994 and 1995, he helped the Rockets win the championship for two consecutive seasons. Among them, they could only rank sixth in the West with a record of 47 wins in the regular season in 1994-1995. And just looking at the West, there were 4 teams leading them by at least 10 wins, but even so, the Rockets successfully defended their title.

Olajuwon's personal performance in the playoffs in the past two years was a very dominant performance, especially in the finals. In the 1994 Finals, Olajuwon completely beat Ewing, and the defensive end also limited him to an average of only 18.9 points per game, and his shooting percentage was less than 40%. Among the top four players in the series, Olajuwon was the Rockets.

The Magic led by O'Neal in the 1995 Finals. Although O'Neal also performed well, Olajuwon still proved with his strength that he is a superstar of another level. He was the only player averaging 30+10 in the series. Under his leadership, the Rockets successfully swept the opponent 4-0.

4. Tim Duncan (2 times)

Average of 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1 steal and 2.2 blocks in the 1999 Finals

Average of 24.2 points, 17 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1 steal and 5.3 blocks in the 2003 Finals

Before Duncan officially entered the NBA, many teams in the league coveted his talent. Therefore, after knowing that he would participate in the draft in 1997, the league also started a frenzy in the 1996-1997 season. In the end, the Spurs stood out from the team and drew the No. 1 pick. In the end, they chose Duncan without any suspense.

Under Duncan's leadership, the Spurs won a total of 5 championships, and 2 of them were the undisputed best player in the finals. Duncan, who was still a second-year rookie in 1999, was able to lead the team to win the series with a score of 4-1 against the Knicks in the finals, ranking first in both players in scoring and rebounding. The Spurs won the championship again in the 2003 Finals. Duncan still delivered a record average of nearly 25+15 per game in this round of defensive battle. On the defensive end, he showed his absolute power of frame protection with 5.3 blocks per game.

3. Shaquin O'Neal (3 times)

Average of 38 points, 16.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1 steal, 2.7 blocks

Average of 33 in the 2001 Finneys 15.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 3.4 blocks

Average of 36.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.8 blocks

O'Neal's dominance does not need to be repeated. In history, players like him who both size and explosiveness are rare, and O'Neal ignores the intensity of the game. He can guarantee very considerable output in any high-end game. Under the leadership of O'Neal at the peak, the Lakers became the only team in the 21st century that can win three consecutive championships, and other teams in the finals basically failed to put a lot of pressure on them.

2000 Finals was O'Neal's best performance. He averaged nearly 40 points per game. He averaged 13.7 points per game in the entire series. At the same time, he could also protect rebounds and frame protection on the defensive end, and his opponents had no choice but to face him. In the next two years, O'Neal was also the most unsolvable player on the court. Even when facing double-teams, he could find his teammates in the open position. Therefore, he won the three consecutive FMVP achievements without any controversy..

2. LeBron James (4 times)

Average of 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.6 steals, 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2.3 steals, 2016 finals, 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2.3 steals, 2020 finals, 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.1 steals,

During James' long 22-year career, he has played for three different teams, and he has also brought championships to these teams during this period. James won the championship for the first time in 2012. That year, he broke the inner demons and performed very well against the Heat in the finals, so there was no problem with being elected as FMVP with unanimous votes. In 2013, the Heat successfully defended their title, and this round of series was even more nervous. Both sides played until the tiebreaker and decided to win. When they were once behind 2-3, James broke out in the last two games and helped the team complete a big reversal, so he personally won the second FMVP.

James, who had returned to the Cavaliers at this time in 2016, fell into a desperate situation of 1-3 in the finals, but he once again stood up at this moment. He scored 40+ twice in the last three games and scored 7, which was a triple-double. With his performance of ranking first in both players in all five statistics, he won the FMVP without controversy. In 2020, 35-year-old James won his fourth ring in the Lakers, which was the highest average score and rebounds in the finals in the four championships. It is undoubtedly amazing that he has such a performance at this age.

1. Michael Jordan (5 times)

Average of 31.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 2.8 steals, 1.4 blocks,

Average of 35.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.7 steals,

Average of 41 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals,

Average of 41 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals,

In the 1997 Finals, he averaged 32.3 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.2 steals,

In the 1998 Finals, he averaged 33.5 points, 4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals,

In Jordan's 15-year career, he led the Bulls to the finals six times and also achieved a 100% winning rate. No team even forced him to the desperate situation of tiebreak in the finals. In these six championship finals, Jordan was elected FMVP in 5 of which were unanimously voted. Only in 1996, Rodman scored a few votes in the last 1996, with less than 30 points per game. This shows how harsh the judges’ requirements for him are.

In Jordan's six finals trips, he also set a record of the highest average score in the finals. In 1993, he averaged 40+ per game against the Suns. This performance made Barkley call him an alien. During the last three consecutive championships, although Jordan declined, it can be seen that he is still the best player in the league. Even if he plays with illness in the finals, he will not disappoint.