1973 NBA MVP: Dave Cowens (Boston Celtics)
1973 NBA Most Valuable Player: Dave Cowens (Boston Celtics)
The 1973 NBA Most Valuable Player was Dave Cowens of the Boston Celtics. According to the NBA's official list of MVP winners, the award for 1973 went to him.
Award at a Glance
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year | 1973 |
| Award | NBA Most Valuable Player |
| Winner | Dave Cowens |
| Team | Boston Celtics |
| Career wins | 1st (regular season MVP, not Finals MVP) |
Why It Mattered
The 1973 MVP honored the most dominant and consistent player across the full 82-game regular season. Dave Cowens earned it on the strength of his season-long body of work with the Boston Celtics.
On the all-time NBA Most Valuable Player list, 1973 is Dave Cowens'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 1973: the NBA Most Valuable Player and the Finals MVP.
- This page's award (NBA Most Valuable Player): Dave Cowens (Boston Celtics)
- The same year's other award (Finals MVP): Willis Reed (New York Knicks)
They went to different players — a clean reminder that "best over a whole season" and "most decisive when it mattered most" are two separate questions.
For the distinction between the two awards, see Finals MVP vs MVP.
Year-by-Year Timeline
- Next (1974): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks) → 1974 NBA Most Valuable Player
- Previous (1972): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks) → 1972 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?
- Dave Cowens honor timeline
- 1973 NBA Finals MVP: Willis Reed (New York Knicks)
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.
Related Reading
- Dave Cowens: Hard Work and Role Model— The Rebounding Philosophy of a Small Center
- Dave Cowens: Glory and Idol— A White Blue-Collar Center's MVP Uprising
- Dave Cowens: Most Valuable and Legacy
- Rookie of the Year and All-Star: Cowens’ Route to Honors
- Dave Cowens: Auerbach’s "Stolen" Small-Center, the Blue-Collar Core of the Celtics
