1986 NBA Finals MVP: Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
1986 NBA Finals MVP: Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
The 1986 NBA Finals MVP was Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics. According to the NBA's official list of Finals MVP winners, the award for 1986 went to him — the 2nd of his career.
Award at a Glance
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year | 1986 |
| Award | NBA Finals MVP |
| Winner | Larry Bird |
| Team | Boston Celtics |
| Career wins | 2nd |
Why It Mattered
The 1986 Finals MVP decided who owned the story of that year's championship. Larry Bird was the central figure in the Boston Celtics' title run, and the media panel voted him the series' most valuable player.
Notably, this was not a one-off. Larry Bird appears on the NBA Finals MVP list 2 times, which is exactly why queries like "1986 Larry Bird finals mvp" keep attracting search interest year after year.
<!-- 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 1986: the NBA Finals MVP and the regular season MVP.
- This page's award (NBA Finals MVP): Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
- The same year's other award (regular season MVP): Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
Both went to the same man. Sweeping the regular season MVP and the Finals MVP in 1986 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 (1987): Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) → 1987 NBA Finals MVP
- Previous (1985): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Los Angeles Lakers) → 1985 NBA Finals MVP
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?
- Larry Bird honor timeline
- 1986 NBA MVP: Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
Sources
Year, winner and team data on this page were verified against the NBA's official Finals MVP winners list (NBA.com history finals-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.
