Ranking the San Antonio Spurs' greatest NBA Finals MVP performances

One of Victor Wembanyama's biggest goals next season should be joining an exclusive list of San Antonio legends who won a title while taking home the NBA Finals MVP award. If he makes another big offensive leap, that could become a reality in 2027.

Let's focus on who already has that hardware and rank the top five Finals MVP performances in Spurs history, based on the level of impressiveness.

#5: Tony Parker 2007 NBA Finals

The Cavaliers had the Spurs' number during the 2006-07 regular season, winning both of their matchups. But Tony Parker did have some individual success against Cleveland's defense, averaging 23.5 points in those two games.

He carried that into their NBA Finals battle, and actually took it up a notch. The French guard torched Mike Brown's team for 24.5 points per game while shooting 56.8% from the floor and 57.1% from three. He led the Spurs to their first and only championship series sweep.

#4: Kawhi Leonard 2014 NBA Finals

The Spurs' 2014 Finals victory was sweet revenge for their loss against the Heat the prior year. They beat them in five games behind an elite two-way perimeter performance from Kawhi Leonard. He averaged 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 61.2% from the floor and 57.9% from three.

When you say the phrase "3&D", a photo of Kawhi holding up the 2014 Finals MVP trophy should pop into your head. He played that role perfectly and, to make things even more impressive, became the second-youngest player to win that accolade, doing so at 22.

#3 Tim Duncan 2005 NBA Finals

The Spurs' 2005 title was easily their toughest. They went the distance against the defending champion Detroit Pistons, who pushed them to seven games.

This wasn't Tim Duncan's prettiest performance, but he still found a way to come out on top against the league's third-ranked defense. He averaged 20.6 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 2 blocks. When talking about this series, you can't forget his crucial Game 7 performance.

Detroit held a nine-point lead at the start of the second half, but Duncan's 12-point third-quarter outburst gave San Antonio the momentum they needed to come back and seal the deal.

The Big Fundamental carried a heavy two-way load against one of the NBA's toughest frontcourts, but it didn't stop him from hoisting the MVP trophy after the final buzzer sounded.

#2: Tim Duncan 1999 NBA Finals

While this wasn't the Spurs' hardest-fought championship victory, Tim Duncan's performance was one of the most intriguing we've ever seen. At 23 years old, he led the team to its first title in franchise history and became the third-youngest player to win the Finals MVP award.

He averaged a staggering 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.2 blocks while shooting 53.7% from the floor and draining nearly 80% of his free throws.

There's only one player who could replicate this sort of performance at that age, and he's currently wearing No. 1 on the back of his Spurs jersey.

#1: Tim Duncan: 2003 NBA Finals

In 2003, the Spurs met up against a tough New Jersey Nets team that finished with the second-seed in the Eastern Conference. They also had the league's top-ranked defense, holding opponents to 34.2 points in the paint.

Well, all of that meant nothing to Tim Duncan. He torched them on the interior, averaging 24.2 points and 17 rebounds on 49.5% shooting from the floor. The Big Fundamental was also the best defender in that series, blocking 32 shots, which is the most in Finals history.

Hopefully, Victor Wembanyama can join this list by the end of next season. With how the Spurs built their roster around him this summer and his projected offensive growth, it seems like a serious possibility.

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