1981 NBA MVP: Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers)
1981 NBA Most Valuable Player: Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers)
The 1981 NBA Most Valuable Player was Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers. According to the NBA's official list of MVP winners, the award for 1981 went to him.
Award at a Glance
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981 |
| Award | NBA Most Valuable Player |
| Winner | Julius Erving |
| Team | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Career wins | 1st |
Why It Mattered
The 1981 MVP honored the most dominant and consistent player across the full 82-game regular season. Julius Erving earned it on the strength of his season-long body of work with the Philadelphia 76ers.
On the all-time NBA Most Valuable Player list, 1981 is Julius Erving'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 1981: the NBA Most Valuable Player and the Finals MVP.
- This page's award (NBA Most Valuable Player): Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers)
- The same year's other award (Finals MVP): Cedric Maxwell (Boston Celtics)
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 (1982): Moses Malone (Houston Rockets) → 1982 NBA Most Valuable Player
- Previous (1980): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Los Angeles Lakers) → 1980 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?
- Julius Erving honor timeline
- 1981 NBA Finals MVP: Cedric Maxwell (Boston Celtics)
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.
