The Celtics are your 2024 NBA champions.
Boston capped off a dominant postseason with a gentleman’s sweep of the Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. Behind the efforts of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and more, the Celtics finished the job in Boston, securing a Game 5 win.
Boston rattled off a 16-3 playoff record, making for one of the most dominant runs in NBA history.
Raising the Larry O’Brien trophy with a true team effort, the title of Bill Russell Finals MVP could have gone to a couple of different Celtics.
Who ended up securing the honor? The Sporting News has you covered with the winner and voting splits below.
MORE: Key stats, highlights from Celtics-Mavericks Game 5 meeting in the 2024 NBA Finals
Who won NBA Finals MVP?
Jaylen Brown is your 2024 Finals MVP.
Jaylen Brown is the 2024 #NBAFinals MVP! pic.twitter.com/6WKMyiPs2y
— NBA (@NBA) June 18, 2024
The first moment after receiving the honor, Brown praised his teammates and his co-star Tatum.
“It was a full team effort. I share this with my brothers. My partner-in-crime, Jayson Tatum. He was with me the whole way. We share this s— together.”
“I share this with my brothers … we share this s— together.”
Jaylen Brown after winning Finals MVP 🤝 pic.twitter.com/KdyJXuJWrt
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 18, 2024
Brown played the best basketball of his career throughout Boston’s 2024 NBA Playoffs run. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the Finals, closing out Dallas with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
His two-way impact on defending Luka Doncic cannot be overstated. He was the Celtics’ steadying hand throughout the series, knocking down a clutch jumper late in the fourth quarter to win Game 3.
After finally receiving the recognition he deserved by winning Eastern Conference Finals MVP, Brown has been crowned once again. He is a champion and NBA Finals MVP.
2024 Finals MVP voting
Brown earned seven Finals MVP votes to Tatum’s four. You can find the complete Finals MVP voting results below:
Boston Celtics forward-guard Jaylen Brown received seven of the 11 votes for #NBAFinals MVP from a media panel covering the series. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum received the other four votes.
Complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/i9g51gD10S
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 18, 2024
Why is Finals MVP named after Bill Russell?
In 2009, then-NBA commissioner David Stern announced that the Finals MVP trophy would be re-named after the player with the most championships in league history — Bill Russell.
“Who better to name this prestigious award for than one of the greatest players of all time and the ultimate champion,” Stern said at the time.
The interesting part is that Russell never won a Finals MVP because the award was introduced in 1969, the year he won his final NBA title as a player.
Despite Russell’s Celtics defeating the Lakers in the championship that season, the late, great Jerry West earned the first-ever Finals MVP award after averaging 37.9 points per game in the series. West is still to this day the only player to win Finals MVP on a losing team.
Complete history of Finals MVPs winners
Whoever wins the award will become the sixth player in Celtics history to win Finals MVP. They will join Paul Pierce, Larry Bird (2x), Cedric Maxwell, Jo Jo White and John Havlicek to receive the legendary honor.
You can find the complete list of Finals MVPs below.
| Year | Player | Team |
| 2024 | Jaylen Brown | Boston Celtics |
| 2023 | Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets |
| 2022 | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors |
| 2021 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2020 | LeBron James | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2019 | Kawhi Leonard | Toronto Raptors |
| 2018 | Kevin Durant | Golden State Warriors |
| 2017 | Kevin Durant | Golden State Warriors |
| 2016 | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2015 | Andre Iguodala | Golden State Warriors |
| 2014 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2013 | LeBron James | Miami Heat |
| 2012 | LeBron James | Miami Heat |
| 2011 | Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2010 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2009 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2008 | Paul Pierce | Boston Celtics |
| 2007 | Tony Parker | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2006 | Dwyane Wade | Miami Heat |
| 2005 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2004 | Chauncey Billups | Detroit Pistons |
| 2003 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2002 | Shaquille O’Neal | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2001 | Shaquille O’Neal | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2000 | Shaquille O’Neal | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1999 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1998 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1997 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1996 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1995 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets |
| 1994 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets |
| 1993 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1992 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1991 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 1990 | Isiah Thomas | Detroit Pistons |
| 1989 | Joe Dumars | Detroit Pistons |
| 1988 | James Worthy | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1987 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1986 | Larry Bird | Boston Celtics |
| 1985 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1984 | Larry Bird | Boston Celtics |
| 1983 | Moses Malone | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1982 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1981 | Cedric Maxwell | Boston Celtics |
| 1980 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1979 | Dennis Johnson | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1978 | Wes Unseld | Washington Bullets |
| 1977 | Bill Walton | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1976 | Jo Jo White | Boston Celtics |
| 1975 | Rick Barry | Golden State Warriors |
| 1974 | John Havlicek | Boston Celtics |
| 1973 | Willis Reed | New York Knicks |
| 1972 | Wilt Chamberlain | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1971 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1970 | Willis Reed | New York Knicks |
| 1969 | Jerry West | Los Angeles Lakers |
