The Best NBA Finals Performances By Players In Their Early 20s

One of the youngest teams to ever make the Finals 🔥

With an average age of 25.6, the OKC Thunder is the second youngest team to reach the NBA Finals since the NBA-ABA merger.

The youngest was the 1977 Trailblazers (25.03), led by the late, great Bill Walton, who won Finals MVP at the age of just 24.

Unless 31-year-old Alex Caruso's defense shuts down Tyrese Haliburton, the person most likely to be holding the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award in mid-June will be 25-year-old Haliburton or 26-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

My initial thought was that 26 has to be one of the youngest ages ever for a Finals MVP

I was surprised to see how many players other than The Big Red have won the award at such a young age or younger. 13 to be exact, most recently by Giannis Antetokounmpo (26) in 2021.

I thought it would be fun to revisit NBA Finals history and highlight some of the best performances by NBA greats in their early to mid-20s.

And it has to start with one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Finals performance ever.

MAGIC JOHNSON - AGE 20

Magic Johnson 42 pts,15 reb,7 ast, nba-finals 1980 lakers vs 76ers game 6

• OPPONENT: 76ers
• YEAR: 1980
• BEST GAME: 42 PTS, 15 REB, 7 AST, 3 STL
• FINALS AVERAGES: 21.5 PTS, 11.2 REB, 8.7 AST

"Never fear, E.J. is here."

That's what Earvin "Magic" Johnson said to Lakers coach Paul Westhead before Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals while sitting in the plane seat of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was sitting at home nursing a sprained ankle.

Most of the public wasn't so confident. The Lakers weren't just missing their starting center against Dr. J's Sixers; Kareem was All-NBA 1st Team, All-Defense 1st Team, and the MVP that season.

And the Rookie Of The Year runner-up is going to make up for that loss?

Before the game, the TV broadcast asked Bill Russell if he thought the Lakers had a chance

He said they would because the Lakers had nothing to lose, would be playing loose, and are a much faster team without Kareem, and that pace might be a tough adjustment for the Sixers.

Magic started at center, jumped with 6'11" Caldwell Jones for the opening tip, and then put up a game-high 42 points (60% Field Goals, 100% Free Throws), a game-high 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block in the win.

The 16-point margin of victory was the largest of the series for either team. The Lakers' 123 total points were also the most in the Finals, so shout out to Bill Russell for mentioning the quicker offense.

If all that wasn't impressive enough, Magic became the youngest Finals MVP ever at just 20 years old.

YOUNGEST TO WIN FINALS MVP

• Magic Johnson (1980): Age 20
• Tim Duncan (1999): Age 22
• Kawhi Leonard (2014): Age 22
• Magic Johnson (1982): Age 22
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971): Age 23

45 years have gone by, and he remains the youngest. And unless 19-year-old Thunder rookie Nikola Topic somehow shows up with a healed ACL and averages 40, Magic's record will stay safe.

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KOBE BRYANT - AGE 21

Kobe Bryant's LEGENDARY Performance In Game 4 Of The 2000 Finals vs Pacers 🐐

• OPPONENT: Pacers
• YEAR: 2000
• BEST GAME: 28 PTS, 5 AST, 2 BLK (52% FG)
• FINALS AVERAGES: 15.6 PTS, 4.6 REB, 4.2 AST (37% FG)

I still believe if Kobe Bryant hadn't sprained his ankle in Game 2 of the 2000 NBA Finals, the Lakers would have swept the Pacers.

They dominated Game 1 with a 104-87 victory. They won Game 2 (thanks to 40 and 24 points from Shaq) while only getting 8 minutes from Kobe. The Pacers took Game 3 in Indy because of the Kobe DNP.

Game 4 was a dogfight and one of the first memorable games on the Kobe timeline

Tied at 104 with 2.3 seconds left in regulation, Shaq misses a hook shot at the buzzer. It was a shock to everyone in the building because Shaq was his usual dominant self, with 36 points and 21 boards.

Then, with 2.33 left in OT with the Lakers down three, Shaq picks up a loose ball foul for his 6th of the game.

TV Announcer Doug Collins says, "Shaquille O'Neal has fouled out. You have got to find a way to win this game if you are the Pacers."

They didn't, and that's because they couldn't find a way to stop Frobe. He hits back-to-back jumpers on the following two possessions and motions to everyone, "Relax. I got this." With 36 seconds left in OT, he blocks a layup by Austin Croshere.

Then, with 7 seconds left in OT, he tips in a missed shot from Brian Shaw for the final field goal of the game.

After the game, Ahmad Rashad asked Kobe, "With Shaq going down, these are the kind of moments that you look for, aren't they?" Kobe responds, "When Shaq fouled out, my mind state was this game just became more interesting than it was.

It was just fun for me. This is when I play relax like I'm in a backyard."

His final line with a "beating" ankle was 28 points on 14-of-27 shooting (0 three-point attempts), 5 assists, and 2 blocks in 47 minutes.

MAGIC JOHNSON - AGE 22

All of Magic Johnson's Assists from the 1982 NBA Finals

• OPPONENT: 76ers
• YEAR: 1982
• BEST GAME: 13 PTS, 13 AST, 13 REB, 4 STL, 2 BLK (67% FG)
• FINALS AVERAGES: 16.2 PTS, 10.8 REB, 8 AST, 2.5 STL (53% FG)

After missing the NBA Finals in a frustrating 1981 season capped off by a Hail Mary game-winner by Ralph Sampson, the Lakers (with new coach Pat Riley) were back and in a rematch with the Sixers.

Just like the previous one, the Lakers were victorious after six games, and Magic was once again the Finals MVP with another triple-double: 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists.

The latest Championship meant Magic won a High School state title, an NCAA title, two NBA championships, as well as two Finals MVP awards, all within just five years.

He would go on to win one more Finals MVP and three more NBA Championships.

TIM DUNCAN - AGE 22

Tim Duncan - 1999 Finals MVP

• OPPONENT: Knicks
• YEAR: 1999
• BEST GAME: 33 PTS, 16 REB, 2 BLK, 2 STL (62% FG)
• FINALS AVERAGES: 27.4 PTS, 14 REB, 2.2 BLK (54% FG)

Thanks to the dominance of the NBA Draft Class of 1984, the 90s Finals MVP awards belonged to 30-somethings Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon until the shortened 1999 season.

That's when a second-year Tim Duncan dominated the Ewing-less Knicks in one of the least-watched live broadcasted NBA Finals ever (they were tape-delayed until 1982).

The reason why the ratings dipped from an average of 29.04 million viewers to 16.01 million was mainly because Michael Jordan wasn't playing. The Twin Towers of Duncan and David Robinson vs Grandmama and Chris Dudley was also a tough sell for the NBA.

What made it even tougher was that the league had just had a lockout, and every young fan wanted to look and play like Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, or Kobe Bryant.

Have you ever heard someone outside of Charles Barkley's favorite city say they wanted to dress or play like Duncan?

It's unfortunate that more kids don't want to play like the greatest power forward ever. It's not the most exciting game, but it's unstoppable.

The Knicks realized that in Game 1, when Duncan put up 33 points (3 more than the "bigs" of LJ, Dudley, Marcus Camby, and Kurt Thomas combined), 16 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.

His defense also helped keep the Knicks to 77 points

He continued his dominance throughout the series, which ended with Latrell Sprewell attempting a desperation game-winner over the hands of Duncan at the buzzer.

The shot was an airball; the Spurs were celebrating their first-ever Championship, and Duncan became the second-youngest Finals MVP.

After receiving the trophy from David Stern, Ahmad Rashad approached a giddy Duncan with a mic and said, "That is the most emotion I've seen you show throughout the entire Playoffs."

KAWHI LEONARD - AGE 22

Kawhi Leonard 2014 Finals MVP

• OPPONENT: Heat
• YEAR: 2014
• BEST GAME: 29 PTS, 3 3PT, 2 STL, 2 BLK (77% FG)
• FINALS AVERAGES: 17.8 PTS, 6.4 AST, 1.6 STL (61% FG)

The 2014 NBA Finals featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and 22-year-old Kawhi Leonard.

NOBODY would have picked the quiet third-year guard, who averaged 12.8 points during the season, to win Finals MVP among the group of future Hall of Famers.

But it was Kawhi, with 10 out of 11 votes, that had Adam Silver say, "Kawhi Leonard, the fans in San Antonio know how great you are. And now the whole world does. You are the 2014 Bill Russell MVP."

Kawhi's Finals started slow, with back-to-back games of 9 points. Then, in Game 3 at Miami, he knocked down his first 6 shots and finished with a game-high and career-high 29 points on 10-of-13 shooting.

He even made a third of the team's threes with 3 (both teams combined for just 19 threes).

"It's a hit-or-miss league," Dwyane Wade said after the 19-point loss.

Kawhi wasn't the only person not missing. The Spurs made a Finals-record 75.8% of their field goals in the first half.

The Klaw stayed hot for the final two games of the series. His 20 points and 14 boards in Game 4 and 22 points and 10 boards in Game 5 were all team-highs.

And yes, Hall of Famers Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker played in those games.

Five years later, he became the third player in NBA history to win Finals MVP with two teams. The other two are LeBron and Kareem.

LEBRON - AGE 22

LeBron James Full Highlights OF 2007 NBA Finals vs Spurs | 1st Finals | VintageDawkins

• OPPONENT: Spurs
• YEAR: 2007
• BEST GAME: 25 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST (43% FG)
• FINALS AVERAGES: 22 PTS, 7 REB, 6.8 AST, 5.8 TO (36% FG)

LeBron made it to the NBA Finals in just his fourth year out of high school. Unlike Kobe, who had the most dominant player in the league and a few Champion veterans as teammates, Bron made it with these starters:

Sasha Pavlovic
Drew Gooden
Larry Hughes
Zydrunas Ilgauskas

There isn't much to say about LeBron in this series other than he missed a lot of shots and turned the ball over a lot because a one-man show isn't enough to beat the Spurs.

They held the 22-year-old to 22 points a game and the Cavs team to 76, 92, 72, and 82 points during the sweep.

After Game 4, Tim Duncan hugged LeBron and jokingly said, "This is going to be your league in a little while. But I appreciate you giving it to us this year.” The two cracked up, but Duncan was right.

LeBron went on to win four MVP awards and four championships during his nine more trips to the Finals

What is worth celebrating is what LeBron did a week before the 2007 Finals started. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons, he had one of the greatest Playoff performances ever:

• 48 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists
• 25 straight points (11/13 FG)
• 29 of Cavs' last 30 points
• Game Winner in 2nd OT

NOTE: I should mention that Tony Parker won Finals MVP this year and he was just 25 years old.

SHAQ - AGE 23

Shaq and Olajuwon’s Game 1 battle in the 1995 NBA Finals deserves a deep rewind

• OPPONENT: Rockets
• YEAR: 1995
• BEST GAME: 26 PTS, 16 REB, 9 AST, 3 BLK (63% FG)
• FINALS AVERAGES: 28 PTS, 12.5 REB, 6.3 AST (60% FG)

There is a misconception that Hakeem Olajuwon dominated Shaquille O'Neal during the 1995 NBA Finals. This misconception arises because they recall what Dream did to David Robinson earlier in the Playoffs, and the Houston Rockets swept the Orlando Magic.

So they just assumed the 31-year-old former MVP dominated the 23-year-old, third-year-center

Outplayed? Sure. "Dominated?" Not even close.

• HAKEEM: 32.8 PTS (48% FG), 11.5 REB, 5.5 AST, 2 BLK, 2 STL
• SHAQ: 28 PTS (60% FG), 12.5 REB, 6.3 AST, 2.5 BLK, 0.3 STL

Shaq was even one assist away from a triple-double in Game 1, which also included a poster dunk on Dream

This is the part where every real Rocket fan who actually watched the games says, "Who made the game-winning tip-in in OT?"

Here's the most amusing part of this story. After the Finals, Shaq put out a message in newspapers challenging Hakeem to a game of 1-on-1. I was excited and fooled.

It turned out to be a Taco Bell promo for a 1v1 PPV event at the Trump Plaza. I was still excited. But then Dream pulled out of the event at the last minute due to an "injury."

In 2016, I had the opportunity to ask Dream what happened to the event. He said he couldn't remember. Before I could finish my follow-up question, Robert Horry interrupted and said, "He wanted more money."

NOTE: Penny Hardaway was pretty good in this series (25.5 PTS & 8 AST) and was just 23 in his sophomore season.

DWYANE WADE - AGE 24

Throwback: Dwyane Wade 2006 Finals MVP Full Highlights vs Mavericks

• OPPONENT: Mavs
• YEAR: 2006
• BEST GAME: 42 PTS, 13 REB (54% FG)
• FINALS AVERAGES: 34.7 PTS, 7.8 REB, 3.8 AST, 2.7 STL, 12.5 FT (47% FG)

I have no issue with people saying James Harden is one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history. He absolutely is. But I do have issues with people that rank him ahead of Dwyane Wade.

Six years before he won back-to-back Championships as a member of the Heatles, Wade won Finals MVP. He won it because he led the Heat to a Championship after being down 0-2 to Dirk and the Mavs.

How did he do it? By averaging 39.3 points (and lots, and lots, and lots of free throws) in the final four games.

The best of those four games probably goes to Game 3, when he scored 42 points, grabbed a career-high 13 boards, and helped the Heat overcome a 13-point deficit with 6 minutes left in regulation.

You can make a case that scoring 43 points and making a Finals record 21 free throws in Game 5 was his best.

Maybe even the Championship-clinching Game 6 with 36 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks and 16 more free throws.

All I know is you can't put James Harden and his resume of Game 7 disappointments ahead of the man who had the highest PER in Finals history (33.8) at the age of 24 in just his third season.

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JERRY WEST - AGE 24

1962: West's Steal and Winning Shot

• OPPONENT: Celtics
• YEAR: 1962
• BEST GAME: 40 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST (57% FG)
• FINALS AVERAGES: 21.5 PTS, 11.2 REB, 8.7 AST

The first honorable mention goes way back to 1962, when 24-year-old Jerry West dropped 40 in a Game 2 win against the Dynasty Celtics.

The logo followed up that performance with 36 and another W, giving the Lakers a 2-1 lead

Boston then won 3 of the following 4, including a heart-breaking OT thriller in Game 7.

Heartbreak in the Finals became a common thing for West

He played in 9 of them during his 14 career and only won a single championship. West also has the dubious honor of being the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP in a loss.

DEVIN BOOKER - AGE 24

Devin Booker 2021 NBA Finals ● 28.2 PPG! ● First NBA Finals! ● Full Highlights vs Bucks

• OPPONENT: Bucks
• YEAR: 2021
• BEST GAME: 42 PTS (60% FG)
• FINALS AVERAGES: 28.2 PTS, 4 AST, 3.5 REB (46% FG)

Remember when you thought Chris Paul was finally going to get a ring in 2021?

The Suns defeated LeBron and the defending Champion Lakers, swept Jokic and the Nuggets, beat CP3's former team, and had only the Bucks between them and 36-year-old CP3 becoming an NBA Champion.

Unfortunately for CP3 and the Suns, the Bucks had Giannis, who was on a mission that dirty fouls in the air couldn't even stop.

One player CP3 can say gave it his all was Devin Booker

The youngest player to ever score 70 in a game (and in a loss) averaged 28 in the series and put up back-to-back games with 40+ points. Both of those games were losses.

The 40-year-old CP3 is currently playing with the Spurs alongside a 21-year-old French Alien that might be on this list shortly.