Has a losing player ever won MVP?
Michael Gray
Updated on April 30, 2026
Jerry West, the inaugural recipient, is the only player to win the award while being on the losing team.
Has a player on a losing team ever won MVP?
Coming to the Cowboys in a trade with the Chicago Bears in 1961 after once having given up on his NFL career, Chuck Howley became one of the greatest outside linebackers in Cowboys history and the only player to win Super Bowl MVP honors while on the losing team.Can a losing player win Finals MVP?
Jerry West (1969)The first player to earn the title of NBA Finals MVP, West is also the only player to win the award while playing on the losing team. West averaged 37.9 points per game for the Lakers in their seven-game series loss to the Celtics in '69—the final championship of the Bill Russell dynasty in Boston.