The back-to-back MVPs club added a new member on Sunday. Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became just the 14th player in NBA history to win consecutive MVP awards, and just the fifth active player. Gilgeous-Alexander is just the fifth player to pull off the feat at age 27 or younger. H ere’s a look at all the repeat MVP winners in NBA history: Bill Russell (1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63) The first repeat MVP winner was actually a three-peat. Russell’s three straight MVPs came in the midst of the Boston Celtics‘ eight straight NBA titles. He was 27 to 29 years old during this span, averaging 17.5 points, 23.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game over the three seasons (232 games). Wilt Chamberlain (1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68) Soon after Russell’s three-peat, Chamberlain matched his feat over his ages 29, 30 and 31 seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers. He posted absurd statistics over these three years, averaging 27.3 points, 24.2 rebounds and 7.2 assists over 242 contests (at 46.5 minutes per game!). The Sixers won the title in 1967 but lost to Russell’s Celtics in 1966 and 1968. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1975-76, 1976-77) Abdul-Jabbar’s first two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, when he was 28 and 29, both ended with MVPs. After winning a title with the Milwaukee Bucks, Abdul-Jabbar continued to elevate his game with the Lakers — although more championships wouldn’t come until the 1980s. He averaged 27.0 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.7 blocks during this run. Moses Malone (1981-82, 1982-83) The only player to be on two different teams for his repeat MVPs, Malone won it as a Houston Rocket and then as a 76er. At ages 27 and 28, Malone averaged 27.8 points and 15.0 rebounds. His numbers dropped by almost seven points per game in his second MVP season, but the Sixers were the league’s best team and swept the Lakers in the Finals. Larry Bird (1983-84, 1984-85, 1985-86) The most recent three-peat MVP, Bird accomplished this from age 27 to 29 by averaging 26.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.7 assists and missing just five games. The Celtics made the Finals in all three of these seasons, winning it during the first and third year but losing to the Lakers in between. Magic Johnson (1988-89, 1989-90) With Abdul-Jabbar in his final season in 1988-89, Johnson took full control and began his run of consecutive MVPs. He was already a five-time champion and three-time Finals MVP, but Johnson put a stamp on his legendary career with this achievement at ages 29 and 30. He averaged 22.4 points, 12.1 assists and 7.1 rebounds during the two seasons. Michael Jordan (1990-91, 1991-92) Immediately after Johnson’s back-to-back, Jordan did the same thing. MJ averaged 30.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists during his age 28 and 29 seasons, leading the Chicago Bulls to championships both years. He was the first player to win regular season and Finals MVP in consecutive years, a list that SGA is looking to join in 2026. Tim Duncan (2001-02, 2002-03) The most dominant two-year stretch of Duncan’s career, at ages 25-26, culminated in his second NBA title for the San Antonio Spurs. He missed just one game in two seasons, averaging 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 blocks. While these were the only two MVPs for Duncan, he went on to win three more Finals before retiring in 2016. Steve Nash (2004-05, 2005-06) Nash is the oldest player to accomplish this feat, doing so at age 31 and 32 for the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 17.2 points, 11.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds over that span as the “seven seconds or less” Suns helped popularize up-tempo basketball. Phoenix lost in the Western Conference Finals in both seasons. LeBron James (2008-09, 2009-10 and 2011-12, 2012-13) The only player to go back-to-back twice, James did so for two different franchises. First with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 24- and 25-year-old James averaged 29.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists but couldn’t get over the hump in the postseason. He then joined the Miami Heat in 2011, finishing third in MVP before going back-to-back with consecutive Finals MVPs at ages 27 and 28 (joining Jordan as the only player to do so). Stephen Curry (2014-15, 2015-16) Few players were more of a spectacle during their MVP runs than Curry, who was (and still is) a threat to shoot it from anywhere. His first MVP coincided with his first Finals win at age 27, then the Golden State Warriors won a record 73 games during his 28-year-old MVP season before losing in the Finals to James’ Cavaliers. Curry averaged 26.9 points, 7.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds on 45% shooting from deep during this stretch. Giannis Antetokounmpo (2018-19, 2019-20) The Greek Freak burst onto the scene with consecutive MVPs at age 24 and 25. He averaged 28.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists over the two years while also winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2020. The Bucks were upset in the playoffs in both of these seasons, but they did win the title in 2021 with Antetokounmpo taking home Finals MVP. Nikola Jokic (2020-21, 2021-22) Antetokounmpo’s run was immediately followed by Jokic, who went back-to-back at age 26 and 27. Like Antetokounmpo, Jokic’s Denver Nuggets didn’t win a championship until the year after his MVP run. Jokic did add a third MVP in 2024, though, and he was a finalist in 2023, 2025 and 2026 in what’s been a dominant run. During his consecutive MVP seasons, the Joker averaged 26.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 8.1 assists. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2024-25, 2025-26) His run has been well-documented, but Gilgeous-Alexander still has a chance to make this run more impressive if OKC can win another title. He could join Jordan and James as the only back-to-back MVP and Finals MVP winners, and he would be the youngest to do so at age 27. Over these last two seasons, he has averaged 32.0 points, 6.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds. ...read more read less