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From John Havlicek to Jaylen Brown: All Boston Celtics Players That Earned the Coveted Bill Russell Finals MVP Award
With Jaylen Brown winning his career first Finals MVP award, here are the other five Celtics legends that earned the Bill Russell award and brought fame to the historic franchise.
After sixteen years of trials and tribulations, the Boston Celtics brought home the Larry O’Brien Trophy, breaking their seventeen all-time tie with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics starting five, headed by partners in crime Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, were monumental in Boston’s historic win over the Mavericks.
The Celtics’ two-man power trip earned their first championship after playing a total of 107 playoff games together, the most by any duo in league history. As Brown became the latest Celtic to win the Bill Russell finals MVP, he credited his team and running mate for sticking by his side:
“It was a full team effort, and I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime, Jayson Tatum. He was with me the whole way. We share this shit together.”
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Brown has now joined an elite list of Celtics legends, becoming only the sixth in franchise history to win the finals MVP. This is because the coveted finals honors were introduced in 1969 after the Celtics had already won 11 championships.
Let us take a look at every Celtic that won the finals MVP and their key performances leading up to the memorable moment. The players are ranked based on their finals output.
Larry Bird (1984)
Larry Bird earned his first finals MVP in a closely-contested finals series as Boston defeated their arch-rival Lakers 4-3. Bird’s 20 points and 12 rebounds in Game 7 helped seal the deal for the Celtics. Bird stood head and shoulders above the rest, averaging 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks on 48.4% shooting.
John Havlicek (1974)
Havlicek won his first and only finals MVP in 1974 when the Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 4-3 to lift their 12th NBA title. Havlicek wasn’t the leading scorer in the finals but delivered the most impact. He averaged 26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.9 steals on 42.9% shooting in seven games.
Larry Bird (1986)
Bird winning his second finals MVP in three years carried significant weight. Bird’s triple-double stat line of 29 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, and three steals in Game 6 delivered a crushing blow to the Rockets’ hopes. The Indiana native is thus far the only Celtic in history to win the finals MVP while averaging a near triple-double (24.0, 9.7, 9.5).
Paul Pierce (2008)
Paul Pierce was essential to the Celtics' offense when it came to conquering their forever-rival Lakers in six games. ‘The Truth’ emerged as the leading scorer in the finals for the Celtics, averaging 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.2 steals on 43% shooting.
Jo Jo White (1976)
Probably among the most underrated scorers in Celtics playoff history, Jo Jo White was a one-in-one who played eleven seasons for the Celtics. White averaged over 21 points and five assists per game in the playoffs and was sensational for Boston in the ‘76 postseason.
His 33 points in Game 5 prevented the Suns from forcing a Game 7. White earned the final Most Valuable Player award by averaging 21.7 points, 4.3 boards, 5.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on 43.9% shooting.
Jaylen Brown (2024)
Brown delivered for the Celtics when they needed him the most. Averaging 23 points and nearly six rebounds a game, Brown was effective on both ends of the floor this postseason. Entering the finals as the Eastern Conference finals MVP, all eyes were on Brown’s potential.
Brown posted 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.6 steals a game while shooting 44% from the field.
Cedric Maxwell (1981)
Maxwell dominated the 1981 finals from the Celtics' end and was a sensation leading up to the final series. Finishing his season with a near double-double of 17.7 points and 9.5 boards on 56.8% shooting, the 6 '8 small forward couldn’t be contained on the scoring end. Maxwell’s 28 points and 15 boards helped the Celtics avoid Game 7, thus winning the series 4-2.
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