At the conclusion of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

men's and

women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...

Division I

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

championships (the "Final Four" tournaments), a media panel selects a Most Outstanding Player (MOP). It is usually awarded to a member of the championship team. There have been 12 instances in which the winner was not from the championship team. The last man to win the award despite not being on the championship team was

Akeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets a ...

(

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

) in 1983.

Dawn Staley Dawn Michelle Staley (born May 4, 1970) is an American basketball Hall of Fame player and coach, who is currently the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Staley won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA as a player and later was head c ...

(

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

) was the only woman to do so, when she won the award in 1991.

Past winners

An asterisk (*) next to a player's name indicates they did not play for the championship team.

NCAA men's Division I MOP award

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

– Jimmy Hull,

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

* * 1940 –

Marvin Huffman Marvin Huffman (March 14, 1917 – May 15, 1983) was an American basketball player. A 6'2" forward, Huffman starred at New Castle High School in Indiana, where he started every game for four years. He then played collegiately at Indiana Univer ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar E ...

– John Kotz,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

* 1942 – Howie Dallmar,

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. S ...

* 1943 – Ken Sailors,

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in ...

– Arnie Ferrin,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

* 1945 – Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M *

1946 Events January * January 6 - The first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into four occupation zones. * January 10 ** The ...

– Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M *

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

–

George Kaftan George A. Kaftan (February 22, 1928 – October 6, 2018) was an American professional basketball player. George grew up in New York City and went to Xavier in Manhattan before going to Holy Cross for college. Though just 6'3", Kaftan was the ...

, Holy Cross *

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

–

Alex Groza Alex John Groza (October 7, 1926 – January 21, 1995) was an American professional basketball player from Martins Ferry, Ohio. Resulting from the CCNY point shaving scandal, Groza was banned from the National Basketball Association (NBA) for l ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

–

* 1950 –

Irwin Dambrot Irwin Dambrot (May 24, 1928 – January 21, 2010) was an American basketball player, best known for his college career at the City College of New York. Early life Dambrot was born in the Bronx and attended William Howard Taft High School in the ...

, CCNY * 1951 –

Bill Spivey William Edwin Spivey (March 19, 1929 – May 8, 1995) was an American basketball player. A center, he played college basketball for the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Kentucky Wildcats from 1949 to 1951. After his high school ...

, Kentucky * 1952 – Clyde Lovellette,

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yugosl ...

– B. H. Born, Kansas* *

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

– Tom Gola, La Salle *

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijiangs ...

– Bill Russell,

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

–

Hal Lear Harold C. Lear Jr. (January 31, 1935 – June 25, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. A guard born in Philadelphia, Lear starred at Temple University in his hometown during the 1950s. He earned the NCAA basketball tournament ...

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

* * 1957 – Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas* *

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

– Elgin Baylor,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

* * 1959 – Jerry West,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

* *

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

– Jerry Lucas, Ohio State *

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

– Jerry Lucas, Ohio State* * 1962 –

Paul Hogue Paul H. "Duke" Hogue (April 28, 1940 – August 17, 2009) was an American basketball player. Early life Hogue grew up on Wilson Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee and played basketball at Austin High School, an all-black high school where his fat ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

* 1963 – Art Heyman,

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

* * 1964 – Walt Hazzard,

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for a full term ...

–

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. He served three terms as a Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey (1979–1997). He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination f ...

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...

* *

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...

– Jerry Chambers, Utah* * 1967 –

Lew Alcindor Lew or LEW may refer to: People * Lew (given name) * Lew (surname) Places * Lew, Oxfordshire, England * River Lew, in Devon, England Transport * LEW Hennigsdorf, a rail vehicle factory in Hennigsdorf, Germany * Lew (locomotive), a British narro ...

, UCLA *

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

–

, UCLA *

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

–

, UCLA * 1970 – Sidney Wicks, UCLA *

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events J ...

– Vacated^† * 1972 – Bill Walton, UCLA * 1973 – Bill Walton, UCLA *

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

– David Thompson, NC State *

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

– Richard Washington, UCLA * 1976 –

Kent Benson Michael Kent Benson (born December 27, 1954) is an American former collegiate and professional basketball player. Benson was a two time All-American at Indiana University, winning the 1976 Helms Foundation Player of the Year and helping lead th ...

, Indiana * 1977 – Butch Lee, Marquette *

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 ...

–

Jack Givens Jack "Goose" Givens (born September 21, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning consensus second-team All-American honors. He led the team to the 1978 NCAA Men ...

, Kentucky * 1979 – Earvin Johnson,

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

–

Darrell Griffith Darrell Steven Griffith (born June 16, 1958), also known by his nickname Dr. Dunkenstein, is an American former basketball player who spent his entire professional career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association from 1980 to 19 ...

, Louisville * 1981 –

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for '' NBA TV''. The 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as well as the 75 Gr ...

, Indiana *

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

– James Worthy,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

* 1983 –

* * 1984 – Patrick Ewing, Georgetown * 1985 –

Ed Pinckney Edward Lewis Pinckney (born March 27, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. College career He attended Villanova University and was a part of the Villanova Wildcats' 1981 heralded recruiting class that included Gary McL ...

, Villanova *

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

–

Pervis Ellison Pervis Ellison (born April 3, 1967) is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Nicknamed "Never Nervous Pervis" for his clutch play with the University of Louisville, after leading Louisville to a national championship, El ...

, Louisville * 1987 – Keith Smart, Indiana * 1988 – Danny Manning, Kansas *

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

– Glen Rice,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

– Anderson Hunt,

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

* 1991 – Christian Laettner, Duke *

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

– Bobby Hurley, Duke * 1993 – Donald Williams, North Carolina *

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

– Corliss Williamson,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

* 1995 – Ed O'Bannon, UCLA *

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

–

Tony Delk Tony Lorenzo Delk (born January 28, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player and college assistant coach. He last served as an assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. During his playing days, he w ...

, Kentucky *

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

– Miles Simon, Arizona Wildcats men's basketball, Arizona *1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 1998 – Jeff Sheppard, Kentucky *1999 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 1999 – Richard Hamilton (basketball), Richard Hamilton, Connecticut Huskies men's basketball, Connecticut *2000 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2000 – Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State *2001 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2001 – Shane Battier, Duke *2002 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2002 – Juan Dixon, Maryland Terrapins men's basketball, Maryland *2003 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2003 – Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse Orange men's basketball, Syracuse *2004 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2004 – Emeka Okafor, Connecticut *2005 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2005 – Sean May, North Carolina *2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2006 – Joakim Noah, Florida Gators men's basketball, Florida *2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2007 – Corey Brewer, Florida *2008 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2008 – Mario Chalmers, Kansas *2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2009 – Wayne Ellington, North Carolina *2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2010 – Kyle Singler, Duke *2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2011 – Kemba Walker, Connecticut *2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2012 – Anthony Davis (basketball), Anthony Davis, Kentucky *2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2013 – Luke Hancock, Louisville *2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2014 – Shabazz Napier, Connecticut *2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2015 – Tyus Jones, Duke *2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2016 – Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova *2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2017 – Joel Berry II, North Carolina *2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2018 – Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova *2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2019 – Kyle Guy, Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball, Virginia *2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2020 – None^± *2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2021 – Jared Butler, Baylor Bears basketball, Baylor *2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2022 – Ochai Agbaji, Kansas

NCAA women's Division I MOP award

*1982 – Janice Lawrence Braxton, Janice Lawrence, Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball, Louisiana Tech *1983 – Cheryl Miller, USC Trojans women's basketball, Southern California *1984 – Cheryl Miller, USC Trojans women's basketball, Southern California *1985 – Tracy Claxton, Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball, Old Dominion *1986 – Clarissa Davis, Texas Longhorns women's basketball, Texas *1987 – Tonya Edwards, Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball, Tennessee *1988 – Erica Westbrooks, Louisiana Tech *1989 – Bridgette Gordon, Tennessee *1990 – Jennifer Azzi, Stanford Cardinal women's basketball, Stanford *1991 –

* *1992 – Molly Goodenbour, Stanford *1993 – Sheryl Swoopes, Texas Tech Lady Raiders basketball, Texas Tech *1994 – Charlotte Smith (basketball), Charlotte Smith, North Carolina Tar Heels women's basketball, North Carolina *1995 – Rebecca Lobo, Connecticut Huskies women's basketball, Connecticut *1996 – Michelle M. Marciniak, Tennessee *1997 – Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee *1998 – Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee *1999 – Ukari Figgs, Purdue Boilermakers women's basketball, Purdue *2000 – Shea Ralph, Connecticut *2001 – Ruth Riley, Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball, Notre Dame *2002 – Swin Cash, Connecticut *2003 – Diana Taurasi, Connecticut *2004 – Diana Taurasi, Connecticut *2005 – Sophia Young, Baylor Lady Bears basketball, Baylor *2006 – Laura Harper (basketball), Laura Harper, Maryland Terrapins women's basketball, Maryland *2007 – Candace Parker, Tennessee *2008 – Candace Parker, Tennessee *2009 – Tina Charles (basketball), Tina Charles, Connecticut *2010 – Maya Moore, Connecticut *2011 – Danielle Adams, Texas A&M Aggies women's basketball, Texas A&M *2012 – Brittney Griner, Baylor *2013 – Breanna Stewart, Connecticut *2014 – Breanna Stewart, Connecticut *2015 – Breanna Stewart, Connecticut *2016 – Breanna Stewart, Connecticut *2017 – A'ja Wilson, South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball, South Carolina *2018 – Arike Ogunbowale, Notre Dame *2019 – Chloe Jackson, Baylor *2020 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, 2020 – None^± *2021 – Haley Jones, Stanford *2022 – Aliyah Boston, South Carolina

External links

Final Four - Most Outstanding Player
from Basketball.com
NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Players History
from InsideHoops.com
NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Players: Where Are They Now?
from LostLettermen.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Ncaa Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player College basketball trophies and awards in the United States NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four, Most Outstanding Player NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, Most Outstanding Player Awards established in 1939 Basketball most valuable player awards 1939 establishments in the United States Associated Press awards