Most NBA MVP Awards Won

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record for the most NBA Most Valuable Player awards, with six, won between 1971 and 1980. No other player has matched that figure, and Kareem earned his across two franchises, three with the Milwaukee Bucks and three with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The MVP is basketball’s premier individual honor, awarded each regular season to the player judged most valuable by a panel of voters. Winning it once is a career milestone; winning it repeatedly places a player among the game’s true immortals. Here is the full leaderboard of NBA MVP winners, the careers behind the numbers, and who could climb it next. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

The record holder: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and six MVPs

Kareem’s six MVPs span nearly a decade, from his early dominance in Milwaukee to his Showtime years in Los Angeles. His combination of unstoppable scoring, led by the iconic skyhook, and elite defense made him the most valuable player of his era for an extraordinary stretch.

That longevity is the through-line. Kareem retired as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a record he held for almost 40 years, and his six MVPs reflect the same blend of peak brilliance and durability that defined his career.

The full leaderboard of NBA MVP winners

The table below ranks players by total NBA MVP awards. Active players are noted.

Rank	MVPs	Player	Award years
1	6	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980
2	5	Bill Russell	1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965
2	5	Michael Jordan	1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998
4	4	Wilt Chamberlain	1960, 1966, 1967, 1968
4	4	LeBron James*	2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
6	3	Larry Bird	1984, 1985, 1986
6	3	Magic Johnson	1987, 1989, 1990
6	3	Moses Malone	1979, 1982, 1983
6	3	Nikola Jokic*	2021, 2022, 2024
10	2	Giannis Antetokounmpo*	2019, 2020

*LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are active; their totals are current through the 2025 season and could still climb.

The list runs from 1960s giants Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain through Michael Jordan’s dynasty to today’s stars, with three active players, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, already among the leaders.

Russell, Jordan and the five-time winners

Bill Russell and Michael Jordan share second place with five MVPs each, though their profiles differ sharply. Russell won his as the defensive anchor of a Celtics dynasty that claimed 11 titles, while Jordan collected his during Chicago’s championship run. Many are surprised Jordan does not have more, a reminder that MVP voting often rewards the freshest storyline rather than pure dominance.

LeBron, Jokic and the modern chase

LeBron James is the only active player among the top winners, with four MVPs and a career long enough to keep the record theoretically in play. Behind him, Nikola Jokic’s three and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s two headline a new generation of contenders. Jokic in particular looms as the most likely to climb toward the record, having become one of the sport’s defining stars, as our ranking of the greatest NBA players reflects.

Why the record matters

The MVP measures who most shapes a season, blending production, efficiency and impact on winning. Kareem’s six awards, earned over a decade and with two franchises, capture exactly that. Individual honors and team success do not always align, a contrast our leaderboards for the most NBA championships by a player and the most points in NBA history help illustrate.

The short version: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the NBA MVP record with six awards, ahead of Bill Russell and Michael Jordan (5 each) and Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James (4 each). As of the 2025 season, active stars Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo headline the chase, but Kareem’s six still leads.