1971 NBA MVP: Lew Alcindor (Milwaukee Bucks)
1971 NBA Most Valuable Player: Lew Alcindor (Milwaukee Bucks)
The 1971 NBA Most Valuable Player was Lew Alcindor of the Milwaukee Bucks. According to the NBA's official list of MVP winners, the award for 1971 went to him.
Award at a Glance
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year | 1971 |
| Award | NBA Most Valuable Player |
| Winner | Lew Alcindor |
| Team | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Career wins | 1st (listed as Lew Alcindor that season) |
Why It Mattered
The 1971 MVP honored the most dominant and consistent player across the full 82-game regular season. Lew Alcindor earned it on the strength of his season-long body of work with the Milwaukee Bucks.
On the all-time NBA Most Valuable Player list, 1971 is Lew Alcindor's single appearance — a one-season peak rather than a repeated reign.
<!-- Depth details to be added by hand (never invent): series matchup, pivotal games, per-game averages. -->The Other Award That Year
Two individual prizes were handed out in 1971: the NBA Most Valuable Player and the Finals MVP.
- This page's award (NBA Most Valuable Player): Lew Alcindor (Milwaukee Bucks)
- The same year's other award (Finals MVP): Lew Alcindor (Milwaukee Bucks)
Both went to the same man. Sweeping the regular season MVP and the Finals MVP in 1971 is about as complete a case of dominance as the league produces.
For the distinction between the two awards, see Finals MVP vs MVP.
Year-by-Year Timeline
- Next (1972): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks) → 1972 NBA Most Valuable Player
- Previous (1970): Willis Reed (New York Knicks) → 1970 NBA Most Valuable Player
Related Reading
- Complete List of NBA Finals MVPs (1969–2026)
- The History of the Finals MVP Award
- What Is the NBA Finals MVP Award?
- NBA MVP vs Finals MVP: What's the Difference?
- Lew Alcindor honor timeline
- 1971 NBA Finals MVP: Lew Alcindor (Milwaukee Bucks)
Sources
Year, winner and team data on this page were verified against the NBA's official MVP winners list (NBA.com history mvp-winners) and Basketball-Reference public records, cross-checked against this site's two internal reference lists (last verified 2026-08-15).
FMVP Club — Independent fan site, not affiliated with the NBA.
