Often regarded as one of the most prestigious and popular basketball leagues in the world, the National Basketball Association (NBA), which was originally founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America, has witnessed a record total of seventy-nine seasons as of September 2025 and has hosted a total of thirty teams speaking volumes about its enormous global reach.
The glorious history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which spans over decades, has witnessed numerous legendary basketball players, including LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and many others, who have brutally dominated the opponents on the court and successfully led their teams from the front, clinching the prestigious “Most Valuable Player” (MVP) awards for their lethal exploits and valuable contributions. Have you ever wondered about the top-notch National Basketball Association players who have received the highest number of MVP awards? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four legendary National Basketball Association players who have been awarded the coveted MVP award for the highest number of times.
Top 4 NBA Players With Most MVP Awards
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The legendary American former professional basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is at the first spot in our list of the top four most legendary National Basketball Association players who have clinched the highest number of MVP awards. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spent twenty seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) playing for the Milwaukee Bucks (1969-1975) and the Los Angeles Lakers (1975-1989) and was a 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA Team member, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection speaking volumes about his prominence in the game.
Often hailed as one of the greatest centres in the history of the National Basketball Association, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was awarded with the prestigious MVP award a record total of six times in the years 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1980, which continues to be an unmatched record as of September 2025.
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Michael Jordan
At the second spot in our list of the top four legendary NBA players who have been awarded the coveted MVP award for the highest number of times, we have the trailblazing American former professional basketball player Michael Jordan, who is still regarded as one of the finest shooting guards ever witnessed in the history of the National Basketball Association. Michael Jordan played a total of fifteen NBA seasons with two different teams including Chicago Bulls (1984-1993, 1995-1998) and Washington Wizards (2001-2003).
Throughout his glitzy NBA career, Michael Jordan clinched a record total of six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and was honoured with the coveted “Most Valuable Player” (MVP) award a record total of five times in the years 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996 and 1998, ranking him at the second spot in our list.
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LeBron James
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four most legendary National Basketball Association players who have clinched the highest number of MVP award, we have the iconic American professional basketball player LeBron James, often popularly referred to as “King James” by millions of his fans from all over the world. Widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all-time, LeBron James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and has won four National Basketball Association championships from 10 NBA Finals appearances, speaking volumes about his unwavering dominance in the league.
As of September 2025, LeBron James has played a total of 22 NBA seasons with three different teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-2010, 2014-2018), Miami Heat (2010-2014) and Los Angeles Lakers (2018-present) and has clinched the coveted MVP award for a record total of four times in the years 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013 which continues to be the third-highest total of MVP awards ever clinched by an NBA player as of September 2025.
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Magic Johnson
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four legendary NBA players who have been awarded with the coveted MVP award for the maximum number of times, we have the legendary American former professional basketball player Magic Johnson, who is often hailed as one of the greatest point guards of all-time. Magic Johnson made his star-studded NBA debut in the 1979–80 season with the Los Angeles Lakers and spent his entire National Basketball Association career, which spanned over thirteen seasons, with the same team.
Magic Johnson played a crucial role in leading the Lakers to a record total of five NBA championships during their “Showtime” era. Throughout his glorious National Basketball Association career with the Lakers, Magic Johnson was honoured with the prestigious “Most Valuable Player” (MVP) award a record total of three times in the years 1987, 1989 and 1990, which continues to be the fourth-highest figure as of September 2025.
