NBA MVP award to be named after Celtics great Bill Russell

There is a bit of irony that Bill Russell was never named an NBA Finals MVP. Over the course of his majestic career, the cornerstone of the Boston Celtics' NBA dynasty in the 1960s, won five NBA MVP awards and 11 NBA championships – but no Finals MVP. Until now – sort of. Starting this year, the NBA will honor the series' best player with the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, which will still be voted on by writers and broadcasters covering the series.

The NBA first named a Finals MVP in 1969, after the series between Russell's Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. And while the Celtics won the title, Los Angeles' Jerry West won the MVP trophy – the first and only time the award had gone to a member of the losing team. Yes, more irony.

"This is one of my proudest moments in basketball, because I determined early in my career, the only important statistic in basketball is the final score," Russell said. "What I'm going to do is visit my father's grave, because he was my hero. "And I'm going to share that with him." OC

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