2019 NBA Finals MVP: Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors)
2019 NBA Finals MVP: Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors)
The 2019 NBA Finals MVP was Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors. According to the NBA's official list of Finals MVP winners, the award for 2019 went to him — the 2nd of his career.
Award at a Glance
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year | 2019 |
| Award | NBA Finals MVP |
| Winner | Kawhi Leonard |
| Team | Toronto Raptors |
| Career wins | 2nd |
Why It Mattered
The 2019 Finals MVP decided who owned the story of that year's championship. Kawhi Leonard was the central figure in the Toronto Raptors' title run, and the media panel voted him the series' most valuable player.
Notably, this was not a one-off. Kawhi Leonard appears on the NBA Finals MVP list 2 times, which is exactly why queries like "2019 Kawhi Leonard 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 2019: the NBA Finals MVP and the regular season MVP.
- This page's award (NBA Finals MVP): Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors)
- The same year's other award (regular season MVP): Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
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 (2020): LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) → 2020 NBA Finals MVP
- Previous (2018): Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors) → 2018 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?
- Kawhi Leonard honor timeline
- 2019 NBA MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
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.
Related Reading
Related
Kawhi Leonard 2019: Spiritual Role Model and the Relentless Foundation
Kawhi Leonard 2019: Technical Portrait and the Fixation of a Unique Style
Kawhi Leonard 2019: A Career Milestone and the Repositioning of History
