NBA

NBA Success Points

Which NBA players have made the most contributions to winning teams?

Brad Oremland

— 21 min read
NBA Success Points

I recently published a list of the greatest players in NBA history. It was an exhaustive project, and required different types of research. One of the challenges I encountered was how to properly evaluate players on championship teams. This is obviously an important consideration, but it's particularly critical because players' individual stats (as opposed to team-level stats like plus-minus) decline when they share the load with talented teammates. There are numerous examples of this, and you can probably think of several immediately. When the Chicago Bulls started winning championships, Michael Jordan's averages dropped. Steph Curry's box stats declined when the Warriors acquired Kevin Durant. Tim Duncan's individual stats are lower than those of Dirk Nowitzki, and much lower than Kevin Garnett's. Players on dynasties often have stats that are, on the surface, less impressive than those of lone stars on less outstanding teams.

I'm not aware of any stat or metric that quantifies contributions to championship teams, but I wanted a way to measure and compare the best player on dynastic teams. One of the ways I try to put things in context is with a new stat I call "Success Points." Success Points are available to players whose teams play in the NBA Finals or the Conference Finals. Regular-season record has no impact except to the extent that it determines playoff seeding: this category focuses on teams that succeed in the postseason. However, contributions to the team are determined by BSPOR, which is a regular-season metric.

For a championship team (like the 1997 Chicago Bulls), the player with highest BSPOR (Michael Jordan) earns 10 Success Points. The second-highest BSPOR (Scottie Pippen) earns 6 Success Points. Third-highest (Dennis Rodman) gets 3 Success Points.

For a team that loses the NBA Finals (like the 1997 Utah Jazz), the top player (Karl Malone) gets 6 points and the second-best player (John Stockton) gets 3. The third-best player (Jeff Hornacek) gets 1.

For teams that reach the Conference Finals but not the championship round (like the 1997 Miami Heat and Houston Rockets), the top-rated players (Tim Hardaway and Hakeem Olajuwon) each get 3 Success Points.

If the difference between two teammates is very small (less than 0.1 BSPOR), their scores are combined and divided by two. For example, in 2019, the Golden State Warriors lost the NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors. Thus, the Warriors' best player was set to earn 6 Success Points, and their second-best player 3 Success Points. However, Kevin Durant had 5.84 BSPOR and Stephen Curry had 5.83 BSPOR. This difference is too trivial to place any importance on. So instead of awarding 6 points for Durant and 3 points for Curry, they each earn 4.5 Success points. (6 + 3) / 2 = 4.5.

Here's the scoring formula in table format:

#1 #2 #3
Won Finals 10 6 3
Lost Finals 6 3 1
Lost Conf 3 - -

Below, you'll find:

  • A table of yearly results with every NBA player who earned Success Points in the NBA Finals from 1950-2025
  • A separate table for the top player from both Conference Championship runners-up
  • A table for the ABA
  • A ranking of every player in history with 10 or more Success Points

The first table shows the NBA Finals champion (blue) and NBA Finals runner-up (red). Players listed in italics were traded to that team during the season, but their BSPOR includes the entire year. There is a slider at the bottom of the table which you can use to scroll horizontally.

Champ Runner-Up
Season Team #1 BSPOR #2 BSPOR #3 BSPOR Team #1 BSPOR #2 BSPOR #3 BSPOR
1950 MNL George Mikan 4.35 Herm Schaefer 1.88 Vern Mikkelsen 1.78 SYR Dolph Schayes 3.52 Al Cervi 2.97 George Ratkovicz 1.06
1951 ROC Arnie Risen 3.91 Jack Coleman 3.16 Arnie Johnson 3.07 NYK Harry Gallatin 4.03 Dick McGuire 2.74 Vince Boryla 2.35
1952 MNL George Mikan 4.13 Vern Mikkelsen 3.87 Jim Pollard 1.76 NYK Harry Gallatin 4.20 Dick McGuire 3.46 Nat Clifton 2.61
1953 MNL George Mikan 5.35 Vern Mikkelsen 3.63 Jim Pollard 1.91 NYK Harry Gallatin 4.90 Ernie Vandeweghe 2.58 Carl Braun 2.52
1954 MNL George Mikan 4.39 Vern Mikkelsen 2.20 Jim Pollard 2.16 SYR Dolph Schayes 4.08 Paul Seymour 2.61 Earl Lloyd 1.99
1955 SYR Dolph Schayes 4.36 Paul Seymour 2.39 Earl Lloyd 1.44 FTW Larry Foust 4.11 George Yardley 3.00 Andy Phillip 2.62
1956 PHW Neil Johnston 5.00 Paul Arizin 3.99 Tom Gola 3.98 FTW Larry Foust 3.55 George Yardley 3.29 Bob Houbregs 2.18
1957 BOS Bob Cousy 2.81 Bill Russell 2.57 Bill Sharman 2.47 STL Bob Pettit 4.67 Chuck Share 2.49 Jack Coleman 2.18
1958 STL Bob Pettit 5.04 Cliff Hagan 3.77 Chuck Share 1.98 BOS Bill Russell 4.71 Frank Ramsey 2.87 Bill Sharman 1.99
1959 BOS Bill Russell 5.26 Bob Cousy 2.85 Sam Jones 1.68 MNL Elgin Baylor 5.09 Larry Foust 1.93 Vern Mikkelsen 1.78
1960 BOS Bill Russell 5.21 Bob Cousy 2.64 Tom Heinsohn 2.02 STL Bob Pettit 5.38 Cliff Hagan 4.75 Clyde Lovellette 3.55
1961 BOS Bill Russell 4.18 Sam Jones 1.95 Bob Cousy 1.77 STL Bob Pettit 5.92 Cliff Hagan 3.47 Clyde Lovellette 2.57
1962 BOS Bill Russell 4.71 Tom Heinsohn 2.51 Sam Jones 2.50 LAL Jerry West 4.33 Elgin Baylor 3.97 Rudy LaRusso 3.08
1963 BOS Bill Russell 4.47 Sam Jones 2.65 Tom Heinsohn 1.79 LAL Elgin Baylor 6.45 Jerry West 3.07 Dick Barnett 2.31
1964 BOS Bill Russell 4.97 Sam Jones 2.02 John Havlicek 1.28 SFW Wilt Chamberlain 8.76 Tom Meschery 2.16 Guy Rodgers 1.44
1965 BOS Bill Russell 5.33 Sam Jones 2.85 K.C. Jones 1.16 LAL Jerry West 5.41 Elgin Baylor 3.83 Rudy LaRusso 2.88
1966 BOS Bill Russell 4.51 Sam Jones 2.58 K.C. Jones 1.46 LAL Jerry West 6.03 Rudy LaRusso 2.55 Elgin Baylor 2.08
1967 PHI Wilt Chamberlain 9.53 Chet Walker 3.27 Billy Cunningham 2.70 SFW Rick Barry 4.61 Nate Thurmond 3.27 Jeff Mullins 1.82
1968 BOS Bill Russell 3.79 Bailey Howell 2.89 John Havlicek 2.83 LAL Elgin Baylor 4.62 Jerry West 3.54 Mel Counts 2.84
1969 BOS Bill Russell 3.85 Bailey Howell 2.92 John Havlicek 2.60 LAL Wilt Chamberlain 6.73 Elgin Baylor 4.48 Jerry West 3.85
1970 NYK Walt Frazier 4.75 Willis Reed 4.71 Dave DeBusschere 2.28 LAL Jerry West 5.25 Elgin Baylor 3.41 Happy Hairston 3.35
1971 MIL Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7.72 Oscar Robertson 4.29 Bob Dandridge 2.95 BAL Wes Unseld 3.90 Gus Johnson 3.46 Jack Marin 1.90
1972 LAL Wilt Chamberlain 5.12 Jerry West 4.52 Gail Goodrich 3.61 NYK Walt Frazier 4.81 Jerry Lucas 4.44 Dave DeBusschere 2.69
1973 NYK Walt Frazier 4.38 Jerry Lucas 2.81 Dave DeBusschere 2.60 LAL Wilt Chamberlain 5.53 Jerry West 3.54 Gail Goodrich 2.27
1974 BOS Dave Cowens 2.84 John Havlicek 2.59 Paul Silas 2.36 MIL Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 6.90 Lucius Allen 2.92 Bob Dandridge 2.67
1975 GSW Rick Barry 4.94 Butch Beard 2.68 Clifford Ray 2.55 WAS Elvin Hayes 3.96 Wes Unseld 3.28 Kevin Porter 2.82
1976 BOS Dave Cowens 4.19 Paul Silas 2.62 Charlie Scott 1.79 PHX Alvan Adams 3.89 Paul Westphal 3.73 Curtis Perry 2.38
1977 POR Bill Walton 4.36 Maurice Lucas 3.16 Bob Gross 2.76 PHI Julius Erving 4.61 George McGinnis 4.06 Steve Mix 1.79
1978 WAS Elvin Hayes 3.27 Wes Unseld 3.02 Bob Dandridge 1.94 SEA Marvin Webster 3.00 Gus Williams 2.52 Fred Brown 2.20
1979 SEA Gus Williams 3.27 Jack Sikma 2.81 Dennis Johnson 2.15 WAS Elvin Hayes 3.82 Wes Unseld 3.67 Bob Dandridge 2.93
1980 LAL Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 6.60 Magic Johnson 5.12 Jamaal Wilkes 3.83 PHI Julius Erving 5.60 Maurice Cheeks 3.63 Bobby Jones 3.20
1981 BOS Robert Parish 5.07 Larry Bird 4.78 Cedric Maxwell 3.90 HOU Moses Malone 6.25 Robert Reid 3.51 Calvin Murphy 2.23
1982 LAL Magic Johnson 6.96 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4.77 Norm Nixon 2.61 PHI Julius Erving 6.43 Maurice Cheeks 4.42 Bobby Jones 3.46
1983 PHI Moses Malone 5.84 Julius Erving 4.31 Maurice Cheeks 3.88 LAL Magic Johnson 6.65 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4.73 Jamaal Wilkes 2.69
1984 BOS Larry Bird 6.07 Robert Parish 4.18 Kevin McHale 3.79 LAL Magic Johnson 5.57 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4.06 Michael Cooper 3.01
1985 LAL Magic Johnson 5.85 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 5.18 James Worthy 3.35 BOS Larry Bird 7.65 Kevin McHale 4.47 Robert Parish 3.73
1986 BOS Larry Bird 7.23 Kevin McHale 4.28 Robert Parish 3.79 HOU Hakeem Olajuwon 5.28 Ralph Sampson 3.23 Lewis Lloyd 3.13
1987 LAL Magic Johnson 7.17 James Worthy 3.77 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3.15 BOS Larry Bird 7.59 Kevin McHale 6.61 Robert Parish 4.38
1988 LAL Magic Johnson 5.17 Byron Scott 4.71 James Worthy 3.39 DET Dennis Rodman 3.43 Bill Laimbeer 3.43 Isiah Thomas 3.01
1989 DET Dennis Rodman 3.95 Bill Laimbeer 3.63 Isiah Thomas 2.64 LAL Magic Johnson 7.47 James Worthy 4.29 A.C. Green 3.85
1990 DET Dennis Rodman 3.86 Bill Laimbeer 3.85 Isiah Thomas 2.74 POR Clyde Drexler 5.03 Terry Porter 4.44 Jerome Kersey 3.26
1991 CHI Michael Jordan 9.21 Scottie Pippen 5.60 Horace Grant 4.33 LAL Magic Johnson 6.81 Vlade Divac 3.94 James Worthy 3.35
1992 CHI Michael Jordan 7.87 Horace Grant 5.99 Scottie Pippen 5.95 POR Clyde Drexler 5.74 Terry Porter 3.76 Buck Williams 3.15
1993 CHI Michael Jordan 8.29 Scottie Pippen 4.80 Horace Grant 4.21 PHX Charles Barkley 6.69 Dan Majerle 3.86 Cedric Ceballos 2.91
1994 HOU Hakeem Olajuwon 6.90 Otis Thorpe 3.51 Robert Horry 2.68 NYK Patrick Ewing 4.96 Charles Oakley 3.80 John Starks 1.96
1995 HOU Hakeem Olajuwon 6.19 Clyde Drexler 5.56 Kenny Smith 2.62 ORL Shaquille O'Neal 7.14 Anfernee Hardaway 4.70 Nick Anderson 4.06
1996 CHI Michael Jordan 8.07 Scottie Pippen 5.07 Toni Kukoc 3.68 SEA Shawn Kemp 5.00 Gary Payton 4.94 Hersey Hawkins 3.52
1997 CHI Michael Jordan 7.27 Scottie Pippen 5.79 Dennis Rodman 2.89 UTA Karl Malone 7.56 John Stockton 6.13 Jeff Hornacek 4.18
1998 CHI Michael Jordan 5.49 Dennis Rodman 3.61 Toni Kukoc 2.65 UTA Karl Malone 6.87 Jeff Hornacek 4.08 John Stockton 3.76
1999 SAS David Robinson 5.12 Tim Duncan 5.10 Mario Elie 2.22 NYK Charlie Ward 2.25 Marcus Camby 2.22 Larry Johnson 2.19
2000 LAL Shaquille O'Neal 7.78 Kobe Bryant 4.02 Robert Horry 2.13 IND Reggie Miller 3.41 Mark Jackson 3.30 Dale Davis 3.15
2001 LAL Shaquille O'Neal 6.63 Kobe Bryant 4.61 Horace Grant 2.49 PHI Dikembe Mutombo 3.89 Allen Iverson 3.72 George Lynch 2.37
2002 LAL Shaquille O'Neal 5.52 Kobe Bryant 4.80 Robert Horry 2.76 NJ Jason Kidd 4.69 Kerry Kittles 2.95 Keith Van Horn 2.80
2003 SAS Tim Duncan 6.52 David Robinson 2.37 Tony Parker 2.24 NJ Jason Kidd 5.21 Richard Jefferson 3.10 Kerry Kittles 2.98
2004 DET Ben Wallace 4.41 Chauncey Billups 3.26 Rasheed Wallace 2.56 LAL Shaquille O'Neal 4.28 Kobe Bryant 4.25 Gary Payton 3.26
2005 SAS Tim Duncan 4.72 Manu Ginóbili 4.26 Tony Parker 2.69 DET Chauncey Billups 4.27 Ben Wallace 4.02 Tayshaun Prince 3.25
2006 MIA Dwyane Wade 5.97 Shaquille O'Neal 3.03 Udonis Haslem 2.18 DAL Dirk Nowitzki 6.50 Jason Terry 3.56 Josh Howard 2.64
2007 SAS Tim Duncan 5.51 Manu Ginóbili 4.39 Tony Parker 3.46 CLE LeBron James 5.27 Drew Gooden 2.82 Zydrunas Ilgauskas 2.76
2008 BOS Kevin Garnett 5.26 Paul Pierce 4.20 Ray Allen 3.19 LAL Kobe Bryant 6.21 Lamar Odom 3.96 Pau Gasol 3.61
2009 LAL Kobe Bryant 5.57 Pau Gasol 5.26 Lamar Odom 3.01 ORL Dwight Howard 5.66 Rashard Lewis 3.34 Jameer Nelson 2.41
2010 LAL Pau Gasol 4.44 Kobe Bryant 4.11 Lamar Odom 3.32 BOS Rajon Rondo 4.83 Paul Pierce 3.31 Kevin Garnett 3.15
2011 DAL Dirk Nowitzki 4.33 Tyson Chandler 3.60 Jason Kidd 3.28 MIA LeBron James 6.77 Dwyane Wade 5.52 Chris Bosh 3.25
2012 MIA LeBron James 7.34 Dwyane Wade 3.98 Chris Bosh 2.59 OKC Kevin Durant 6.06 James Harden 4.09 Russell Westbrook 3.82
2013 MIA LeBron James 8.19 Dwyane Wade 4.51 Chris Bosh 3.35 SAS Tim Duncan 3.92 Tony Parker 3.50 Tiago Splitter 2.93
2014 SAS Kawhi Leonard 3.64 Tim Duncan 3.18 Manu Ginóbili 2.65 MIA LeBron James 6.94 Chris Bosh 3.28 Dwyane Wade 2.86
2015 GSW Stephen Curry 7.26 Klay Thompson 4.22 Draymond Green 3.60 CLE LeBron James 4.98 Kyrie Irving 4.32 Kevin Love 3.71
2016 CLE LeBron James 6.31 Kevin Love 3.77 Tristan Thompson 3.16 GSW Stephen Curry 8.96 Draymond Green 4.85 Klay Thompson 4.14
2017 GSW Stephen Curry 6.39 Kevin Durant 5.68 Klay Thompson 3.95 CLE LeBron James 6.59 Kyrie Irving 4.37 Kevin Love 3.65
2018 GSW Kevin Durant 5.78 Stephen Curry 4.85 Klay Thompson 3.21 CLE LeBron James 7.64 Kevin Love 3.30 Larry Nance Jr. 2.74
2019 TOR Kawhi Leonard 4.84 Pascal Siakam 3.98 Kyle Lowry 3.07 GSW Kevin Durant 5.84 Stephen Curry 5.83 Klay Thompson 3.73
2020 LAL Anthony Davis 5.95 LeBron James 5.74 Dwight Howard 2.32 MIA Bam Adebayo 4.64 Jimmy Butler 4.46 Duncan Robinson 3.04
2021 MIL Giannis Antetokounmpo 6.30 Khris Middleton 3.94 Jrue Holiday 3.70 PHX Chris Paul 5.11 Deandre Ayton 4.04 Mikal Bridges 4.02
2022 GSW Stephen Curry 4.44 Jordan Poole 3.06 Andrew Wiggins 2.64 BOS Jayson Tatum 5.29 Robert Williams 3.75 Jaylen Brown 3.35
2023 DEN Nikola Jokic 7.70 Aaron Gordon 3.55 Jamal Murray 3.09 MIA Jimmy Butler 6.00 Bam Adebayo 3.48 Tyler Herro 2.78
2024 BOS Jayson Tatum 5.41 Derrick White 4.00 Jaylen Brown 3.80 DAL Luka Doncic 7.51 Kyrie Irving 4.41 Daniel Gafford 3.94
2025 OKC Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 8.01 Jalen Williams 4.12 Isaiah Hartenstein 2.65 IND Tyrese Haliburton 5.58 Pascal Siakam 4.40 Obi Toppin 2.53

This next table shows the top-ranked player for the NBA Finals champion (blue), NBA Finals runner-up (red), Eastern Conference runner-up (green), and Western Conference runner-up (pink). In 1950, the Anderson Packers lost the semifinals to the Minneapolis Lakers in the NBA's three-division format.

Champ Runner-Up East Conf West Conf
Season Team #1 BSPOR Team #1 BSPOR Team #1 BSPOR Team #1 BSPOR
1950 MNL George Mikan 4.35 SYR Dolph Schayes 3.52 AND John Hargis 1.55 N/A
1951 ROC Arnie Risen 3.91 NYK Harry Gallatin 4.03 SYR Dolph Schayes 4.91 MNL George Mikan 5.86
1952 MNL George Mikan 4.13 NYK Harry Gallatin 4.20 SYR Dolph Schayes 4.16 ROC Bobby Wanzer 4.43
1953 MNL George Mikan 5.35 NYK Harry Gallatin 4.90 BOS Ed Macauley 4.72 FTW Andy Phillip 3.28
1954 MNL George Mikan 4.39 SYR Dolph Schayes 4.08 BOS Bob Cousy 4.29 ROC Bobby Wanzer 2.68
1955 SYR Dolph Schayes 4.36 FTW Larry Foust 4.11 BOS Bob Cousy 4.18 MNL Vern Mikkelsen 3.36
1956 PHW Neil Johnston 5.00 FTW Larry Foust 3.55 SYR Dolph Schayes 4.54 STL Bob Pettit 5.07
1957 BOS Bob Cousy 2.81 STL Bob Pettit 4.67 SYR Dolph Schayes 5.04 MNL Clyde Lovellette 3.09
1958 STL Bob Pettit 5.04 BOS Bill Russell 4.71 PHW Tom Gola 3.61 DET George Yardley 3.75
1959 BOS Bill Russell 5.26 MNL Elgin Baylor 5.09 SYR Red Kerr 3.62 STL Bob Pettit 6.12
1960 BOS Bill Russell 5.21 STL Bob Pettit 5.38 PHW Wilt Chamberlain 6.30 MNL Elgin Baylor 4.95
1961 BOS Bill Russell 4.18 STL Bob Pettit 5.92 SYR Dolph Schayes 3.30 LAL Elgin Baylor 6.48
1962 BOS Bill Russell 4.71 LAL Jerry West 4.33 PHW Wilt Chamberlain 8.51 DET Bailey Howell 4.06
1963 BOS Bill Russell 4.47 LAL Elgin Baylor 6.45 CIN Oscar Robertson 8.02 STL Bob Pettit 5.76
1964 BOS Bill Russell 4.97 SFW Wilt Chamberlain 8.76 CIN Oscar Robertson 8.73 STL Bob Pettit 5.95
1965 BOS Bill Russell 5.33 LAL Jerry West 5.41 PHI Wilt Chamberlain 6.47 BAL Walt Bellamy 5.13
1966 BOS Bill Russell 4.51 LAL Jerry West 6.03 PHI Wilt Chamberlain 8.36 STL Zelmo Beaty 3.82
1967 PHI Wilt Chamberlain 9.53 SFW Rick Barry 4.61 BOS Bill Russell 5.51 STL Bill Bridges 4.02
1968 BOS Bill Russell 3.79 LAL Elgin Baylor 4.62 PHI Wilt Chamberlain 8.04 SFW Nate Thurmond 2.91
1969 BOS Bill Russell 3.85 LAL Wilt Chamberlain 6.73 NYK Willis Reed 5.34 ATL Bill Bridges 3.81
1970 NYK Walt Frazier 4.75 LAL Jerry West 5.25 MIL Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 6.00 ATL Bill Bridges 4.50
1971 MIL Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7.72 BAL Wes Unseld 3.90 NYK Walt Frazier 4.63 LAL Wilt Chamberlain 5.26
1972 LAL Wilt Chamberlain 5.12 NYK Walt Frazier 4.81 BOS John Havlicek 4.25 MIL Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 8.54
1973 NYK Walt Frazier 4.38 LAL Wilt Chamberlain 5.53 BOS Dave Cowens 3.68 GSW Rick Barry 3.99
1974 BOS Dave Cowens 2.84 MIL Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 6.90 NYK Walt Frazier 4.16 CHI Clifford Ray 3.03
1975 GSW Rick Barry 4.94 WAS Elvin Hayes 3.96 BOS Dave Cowens 3.52 CHI Chet Walker 2.83
1976 BOS Dave Cowens 4.19 PHX Alvan Adams 3.89 CLE Jim Brewer 3.04 GSW Rick Barry 3.39
1977 POR Bill Walton 4.36 PHI Julius Erving 4.61 HOU Moses Malone 4.26 LAL Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7.95
1978 WAS Elvin Hayes 3.27 SEA Marvin Webster 3.00 PHI Julius Erving 3.69 DEN David Thompson 4.74
1979 SEA Gus Williams 3.27 WAS Elvin Hayes 3.82 PHX Paul Westphal 4.31 SAS George Gervin 4.31
1980 LAL Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 6.60 PHI Julius Erving 5.60 BOS Larry Bird 4.78 SEA Gus Williams 4.36
1981 BOS Robert Parish 5.07 HOU Moses Malone 6.25 PHI Julius Erving 6.10 KCK Reggie King 3.55
1982 LAL Magic Johnson 6.96 PHI Julius Erving 6.43 BOS Larry Bird 5.58 SAS George Gervin 4.45
1983 PHI Moses Malone 5.84 LAL Magic Johnson 6.65 MIL Sidney Moncrief 4.86 SAS Artis Gilmore 5.02
1984 BOS Larry Bird 6.07 LAL Magic Johnson 5.57 MIL Sidney Moncrief 4.79 PHX Larry Nance 4.65
1985 LAL Magic Johnson 5.85 BOS Larry Bird 7.65 PHI Moses Malone 4.86 DEN Calvin Natt 4.30
1986 BOS Larry Bird 7.23 HOU Hakeem Olajuwon 5.28 MIL Paul Pressey 4.14 LAL Magic Johnson 5.48
1987 LAL Magic Johnson 7.17 BOS Larry Bird 7.59 DET Bill Laimbeer 4.27 SEA Dale Ellis 4.30
1988 LAL Magic Johnson 5.17 DET Dennis Rodman 3.43 BOS Larry Bird 7.88 DAL Roy Tarpley 4.36
1989 DET Dennis Rodman 3.95 LAL Magic Johnson 7.47 CHI Michael Jordan 9.88 PHX Kevin Johnson 4.88
1990 DET Dennis Rodman 3.86 POR Clyde Drexler 5.03 CHI Michael Jordan 9.58 PHX Kevin Johnson 4.63
1991 CHI Michael Jordan 9.21 LAL Magic Johnson 6.81 DET Dennis Rodman 3.90 POR Clyde Drexler 5.48
1992 CHI Michael Jordan 7.87 POR Clyde Drexler 5.74 CLE Larry Nance 5.77 UTA John Stockton 7.21
1993 CHI Michael Jordan 8.29 PHX Charles Barkley 6.69 NYK Patrick Ewing 4.26 SEA Shawn Kemp 4.26
1994 HOU Hakeem Olajuwon 6.90 NYK Patrick Ewing 4.96 IND Reggie Miller 4.37 UTA John Stockton 6.75
1995 HOU Hakeem Olajuwon 6.19 ORL Shaquille O'Neal 7.14 IND Reggie Miller 4.38 SAS David Robinson 7.85
1996 CHI Michael Jordan 8.07 SEA Shawn Kemp 5.00 ORL Anfernee Hardaway 6.35 UTA Karl Malone 6.94
1997 CHI Michael Jordan 7.27 UTA Karl Malone 7.56 MIA Tim Hardaway 4.83 HOU Hakeem Olajuwon 4.73
1998 CHI Michael Jordan 5.49 UTA Karl Malone 6.87 IND Reggie Miller 4.24 LAL Shaquille O'Neal 4.64
1999 SAS David Robinson 5.12 NYK Charlie Ward 2.25 IND Reggie Miller 3.62 POR Arvydas Sabonis 3.33
2000 LAL Shaquille O'Neal 7.78 IND Reggie Miller 3.41 NYK Allan Houston 2.57 POR Steve Smith 3.47
2001 LAL Shaquille O'Neal 6.63 PHI Dikembe Mutombo 3.89 MIL Ray Allen 5.94 SAS Tim Duncan 5.22
2002 LAL Shaquille O'Neal 5.52 NJ Jason Kidd 4.69 BOS Paul Pierce 5.53 SAC Chris Webber 3.84
2003 SAS Tim Duncan 6.52 NJ Jason Kidd 5.21 DET Ben Wallace 5.17 DAL Dirk Nowitzki 6.30
2004 DET Ben Wallace 4.41 LAL Shaquille O'Neal 4.28 IND Jermaine O'Neal 3.39 MIN Kevin Garnett 8.26
2005 SAS Tim Duncan 4.72 DET Chauncey Billups 4.27 MIA Shaquille O'Neal 4.87 PHX Shawn Marion 5.97
2006 MIA Dwyane Wade 5.97 DAL Dirk Nowitzki 6.50 DET Chauncey Billups 5.97 PHX Shawn Marion 7.17
2007 SAS Tim Duncan 5.51 CLE LeBron James 5.27 DET Chauncey Billups 4.43 UTA Carlos Boozer 5.36
2008 BOS Kevin Garnett 5.26 LAL Kobe Bryant 6.21 DET Chauncey Billups 5.33 SAS Tim Duncan 4.99
2009 LAL Kobe Bryant 5.57 ORL Dwight Howard 5.66 CLE LeBron James 8.73 DEN Chauncey Billups 4.03
2010 LAL Pau Gasol 4.44 BOS Rajon Rondo 4.83 ORL Dwight Howard 5.36 PHX Steve Nash 4.63
2011 DAL Dirk Nowitzki 4.33 MIA LeBron James 6.77 CHI Derrick Rose 4.83 OKC Kevin Durant 5.18
2012 MIA LeBron James 7.34 OKC Kevin Durant 6.06 BOS Paul Pierce 3.55 SAS Tony Parker 3.16
2013 MIA LeBron James 8.19 SAS Tim Duncan 3.92 IND Paul George 3.96 MEM Marc Gasol 4.15
2014 SAS Kawhi Leonard 3.64 MIA LeBron James 6.94 IND Paul George 4.42 OKC Kevin Durant 8.00
2015 GSW Stephen Curry 7.26 CLE LeBron James 4.98 ATL Paul Millsap 3.93 HOU James Harden 6.81
2016 CLE LeBron James 6.31 GSW Stephen Curry 8.96 TOR Kyle Lowry 5.04 OKC Russell Westbrook 6.41
2017 GSW Stephen Curry 6.39 CLE LeBron James 6.59 BOS Isaiah Thomas 5.70 SAS Kawhi Leonard 6.23
2018 GSW Kevin Durant 5.78 CLE LeBron James 7.64 BOS Kyrie Irving 4.19 HOU James Harden 6.93
2019 TOR Kawhi Leonard 4.84 GSW Kevin Durant 5.84 MIL Giannis Antetokounmpo 7.05 POR Damian Lillard 5.55
2020 LAL Anthony Davis 5.95 MIA Bam Adebayo 4.64 BOS Jayson Tatum 3.98 DEN Nikola Jokic 5.61
2021 MIL Giannis Antetokounmpo 6.30 PHX Chris Paul 5.11 ATL Clint Capela 4.87 LAC Kawhi Leonard 5.14
2022 GSW Stephen Curry 4.44 BOS Jayson Tatum 5.29 MIA Jimmy Butler 4.11 DAL Luka Doncic 5.01
2023 DEN Nikola Jokic 7.70 MIA Jimmy Butler 6.00 BOS Jayson Tatum 6.01 LAL Anthony Davis 4.63
2024 BOS Jayson Tatum 5.41 DAL Luka Doncic 7.51 IND Tyrese Haliburton 5.33 MIN Anthony Edwards 4.50
2025 OKC Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 8.01 IND Tyrese Haliburton 5.58 NYK Karl-Anthony Towns 5.48 MIN Anthony Edwards 5.09

For the ABA, I award 6 Success Points to the player with the highest BSPOR on the champion, 3 Success Points for second place, and 1 Success Point for the third-best player. The runner-up gets 3 Success Points for the top player and 1 point for second-best. I do not award Success Points to the third-best player on the loser of the ABA Finals, or to any ABA player whose team failed to reach the Finals.

Season Team #1 BSPOR #2 BSPOR #3 BSPOR Team #1 BSPOR #2 BSPOR #3 BSPOR
1968 PTP Connie Hawkins 4.27 Trooper Washington 2.05 Chico Vaughn 1.07 NOB Red Robbins 2.78 Doug Moe 2.12 Jimmy Jones 1.44
1969 OAK Rick Barry 1.95 Gary Bradds 1.86 Jim Eakins 1.63 IND Mel Daniels 2.52 Roger Brown 2.40 Bob Netolicky 2.18
1970 IND Roger Brown 3.53 Mel Daniels 2.87 Bob Netolicky 2.32 LAS Willie Wise 2.32 Trooper Washington 2.04 Mack Calvin 1.72
1971 UTS Zelmo Beaty 4.37 Red Robbins 2.37 Donnie Freeman 2.11 KEN Dan Issel 3.74 Goose Ligon 2.50 Cincy Powell 2.50
1972 IND Mel Daniels 2.96 Roger Brown 1.93 Freddie Lewis 1.58 NYN Rick Barry 3.42 Bill Melchionni 2.62 Trooper Washington 2.04
1973 IND Mel Daniels 2.68 George McGinnis 2.63 Roger Brown 1.55 KEN Artis Gilmore 5.12 Dan Issel 4.12 Louie Dampier 2.05
1974 NYN Julius Erving 5.63 Billy Paultz 2.30 Mike Gale 1.85 UTS Jimmy Jones 3.49 Willie Wise 3.40 Ron Boone 2.65
1975 KEN Artis Gilmore 5.22 Louie Dampier 2.64 Dan Issel 2.37 IND George McGinnis 4.85 Billy Knight 2.78 Darnell Hillman 2.09
1976 NYN Julius Erving 6.74 Kim Hughes 2.58 Al Skinner 1.85 DEN Bobby Jones 4.47 Dan Issel 3.94 David Thompson 3.84

So, if we tally up each year, which players contributed most to their teams' postseason success? There are 76 players with at least 10 Success Points:

Read more