The Most Valuable Player

As good as Bill Russell was at collecting NBA World Championship titles, he also excelled at collecting individual hardware. He earned the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in the 1957-58, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63 and 1964-65 seasons. Russell became the first player to win NBA MVP in three straight seasons – a feat matched only by Wilt Chamberlain and fellow Celtics legend Larry Bird. Russell’s five total MVP awards have been matched only by Michael Jordan and surpassed only by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with six total.