The Los Angeles Lakers have been to more NBA Finals than any other franchise in the history of the Association. With 17 championships and 32 trips to the championship round, the Lakers have set the standard for the other 29 teams.
In addition to winning in the most balanced manner of any franchise in NBA history, the Lakers also have more Finals MVP awards than the next two leading teams combined.
A Lakers player has taken home the Finals MVP award on 13 separate occasions. Second on that list are the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls, which are tied at six—with Michael Jordan delivering each of the latter's awards within an eight-year window.
Synonymous with the award, the Lakers inevitably began their reign of dominance over the hardware during the very first year of its existence.
1. Jerry West, 1969
The NBA Finals MVP award was introduced during the 1968-69 season. That means there were 22 different seasons in which a Finals MVP was not crowned, which is an important piece of information to respect and acknowledge.
While the Lakers were unable to win the championship during the season of the award's inception, it was a Los Angeles legend who was named the first-ever Finals MVP.
The Lakers unfortunately fell to Bill Russell and the rival Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals, but Jerry West was nothing short of exceptional. He averaged 37.9 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds during that iconic seven-game series.
West scored more points and dished out more assists than any other player in the 1969 NBA Finals, and set a standard that few in Association history have been able to reach.
Only four players in NBA Finals history have averaged more points per game than West was able to in 1969. That list inevitably consists of four all-time greats: Michael Jordan in 1992, Rick Barry in 1967, Elgin Baylor in 1962, and Shaquille O'Neal in 2000.
The loss certainly stings, but West finishing with 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists in Game 7 made it impossible to justify the award going anywhere else.