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NBA MVP Award Winners, 1956 to 2026

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won a record 6 NBA MVP awards. Michael Jordan and Bill Russell have 5, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won back to back in 2025 and 2026.

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What the data shows

  • In 2026, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ranks #1 with 6, ahead of Michael Jordan (5) and Bill Russell (5).
  • Back in 1956, Bob Pettit was #1 with 1.
  • The top spot changed hands twice: Bill Russell in 1962 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1980.
  • Biggest climber: Michael Jordan, from #7 in 1988 to #2 in 2026.

About this chart

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record with 6 regular-season MVP awards, the first in 1971 as Lew Alcindor and the last in 1980. Michael Jordan (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998) and Bill Russell (1958, 1961 to 1963, 1965) each won 5. Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James each have 4, while Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Nikola Jokic each have 3.

Bob Pettit won the first award in 1956 and again in 1959. Larry Bird took three in a row, from 1984 to 1986. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won in 2025 and 2026, joining Stephen Curry (2015, 2016), Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019, 2020) and Tim Duncan (2002, 2003) among back-to-back winners. Two-time winners Karl Malone and Steve Nash are omitted, and ABA MVPs are not counted.

The data

Source: Wikipedia, 'NBA Most Valuable Player Award' (winners table); cumulative count at each season end; cross-checked against Basketball-Reference awards/mvp.html. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Column = year the season ends (2026 = 2025-26). Lew Alcindor (1971) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are one player. Two-time winners Karl Malone and Steve Nash are omitted to keep 14 rows; ABA MVPs are not counted.

NBA MVP Award Winners, Cumulative regular-season MVP awards by player, 1956-2026, 1956–2026
Date🇺🇸 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar🇺🇸 Michael Jordan🇺🇸 Bill Russell🇺🇸 Wilt Chamberlain🇺🇸 LeBron James🇺🇸 Moses Malone🇺🇸 Larry Bird🇺🇸 Magic Johnson🇷🇸 Nikola Jokić🇺🇸 Bob Pettit🇺🇸 Tim Duncan🇺🇸 Stephen Curry🇬🇷 Giannis Antetokounmpo🇨🇦 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
195600000000010000
195700000000010000
195800100000010000
195900100000020000
196000110000020000
196100210000020000
196200310000020000
196300410000020000
196400410000020000
196500510000020000
196600520000020000
196700530000020000
196800540000020000
196900540000020000
197000540000020000
197110540000020000
197220540000020000
197320540000020000
197430540000020000
197530540000020000
197640540000020000
197750540000020000
197850540000020000
197950540100020000
198060540100020000
198160540100020000
198260540200020000
198360540300020000
198460540310020000
198560540320020000
198660540330020000
198760540331020000
198861540331020000
198961540332020000
199061540333020000
199162540333020000
199263540333020000
199363540333020000
199463540333020000
199563540333020000
199664540333020000
199764540333020000
199865540333020000
199965540333020000
200065540333020000
200165540333020000
200265540333021000
200365540333022000
200465540333022000
200565540333022000
200665540333022000
200765540333022000
200865540333022000
200965541333022000
201065542333022000
201165542333022000
201265543333022000
201365544333022000
201465544333022000
201565544333022100
201665544333022200
201765544333022200
201865544333022200
201965544333022210
202065544333022220
202165544333122220
202265544333222220
202365544333222220
202465544333322220
202565544333322221
202665544333322222

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Frequently asked questions

Who has won the most NBA MVP awards?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won the most, with 6 NBA MVP awards between 1971 and 1980. Michael Jordan and Bill Russell are next with 5 each.

Who won the 2026 NBA MVP?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the 2026 NBA MVP, his second in a row after winning in 2025. He joined Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tim Duncan as back-to-back winners.

Who won the first NBA MVP award?

Bob Pettit won the first NBA MVP award in 1956 and won it again in 1959. The award has been given every season since.

Where does this data come from?

Wikipedia, 'NBA Most Valuable Player Award' (winners table); cumulative count at each season end; cross-checked against Basketball-Reference awards/mvp.html. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Column = year the season ends (2026 = 2025-26). Lew Alcindor (1971) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are one player. Two-time winners Karl Malone and Steve Nash are omitted to keep 14 rows; ABA MVPs are not counted. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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