Throughout NBA history, we’ve seen multiple superstars win MVPs, Scoring Titles, lead the league in assists,and whatnot. But some of them were never able to win a championship, let alone a Finals MVP award.
Being named Finals MVP is one of the biggest honors any basketball player could ever dream of. It means you outplayed all your opposition and put your team on your back when it mattered the most.
But there have been a couple of times in history that we’ve seen some head-scratching winners for this prestigious award. That’s why today, we’re going to let you know about the three worst NBA Finals MVPs of all time.
The Worst NBA Finals MVPs Ever
3. Jerry West – 1969
Jerry West- Getty Images
To be fair, Jerry West’s numbers in the 1969 NBA Finals were impressive even by his standards. He averaged 37.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 43.9 minutes per game. However, that wasn’t enough to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the championship.
West and the Lakers lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics, becoming the first and only Finals MVP on a losing team. It was quite unfair to John Havlicek, who averaged 28.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game and actually won the chip.
2. Kawhi Leonard – 2014
Kawhi Leonard- Getty Images
Kawhi Leonard was anunknown player back in 2014. He took his game up a notch in the playoffs and especially in the NBA Finals, where he was in charge of guarding LeBron James. He averaged 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
Leonard didn’t lead the San Antonio Spurs in any category but blocks in that series, yet he won Finals MVP for his great defense on James. The catch? LeBron actually averaged 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists on 57/51/79, so it’s not like he locked him up at all.
1. Andre Iguodala – 2015
Andre Iguodala – Getty Images
For years, people have criticized Stephen Curry for ‘letting’ Andre Iguodala win Finals MVP over him in 2015. Iguodala averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game and was also called to guard LeBron James in that series.
Somehow, someway, and despite not leading his team in any regular or advanced stat, Iguodala’s ‘lockdown defense’ on James granted him the award. But James averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game so… make this make sense, please.
