The
Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (formerly known as the
NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award) is an annual
National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the
1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of nine media members, who cast votes after the conclusion of the
Finals. The person with the highest votes wins the award. In at least one NBA Finals, fans balloting on NBA.com accounted for the tenth vote. The award was originally a black trophy with a gold basketball-shaped sphere at the top, similar to the
Larry O'Brien Trophy, until a new trophy was introduced in
2005.