The ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award was an annual American Basketball Association

American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

 (ABA) award given in the ABA Playoffs. The award was first awarded in the 1968 ABA Playoffs

1968 ABA Playoffs

The 1968 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament following the American Basketball Association's inaugural 1967-1968 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Pittsburgh Pipers defeating the Western Division champion New Orleans Buccaneers, four games to three in the...

, and was retired as part of the ABA–NBA merger. In sports, the player judged to be the most important to the team is the most valuable player

Most Valuable Player

In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...

 (MVP).

The inaugural award winner was Pittsburgh Pipers' player Connie Hawkins

Connie Hawkins

Cornelius L. Hawkins is a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player, Harlem Globetrotter and New York City playground legend...

. On all occasions, the player who wins the Playoffs MVP award is from the team that won the ABA championship. Julius Erving

Julius Erving

Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....

, who led the New York Nets to two ABA championships in 1974

1974 ABA Playoffs

The 1974 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1973-1974 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion New York Nets defeating the Western Division champion Utah Stars, four games to one in the ABA Finals.-Notable events:A one game...

 and 1976

1976 ABA Playoffs

The 1976 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1975-1976 season. The tournament concluded with the New York Nets defeating the Denver Nuggets four games to two in the ABA Finals....

, is the only player to win the award twice.

Winners

*	Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Player (X)	Denotes the number of times the player has received the Playoffs MVP award

Year	Player	Positions	Team	Note
1968 1968 ABA Playoffs The 1968 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament following the American Basketball Association's inaugural 1967-1968 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Pittsburgh Pipers defeating the Western Division champion New Orleans Buccaneers, four games to three in the...	*	Forward/Center Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...	Pittsburgh Pipers
1969 1969 ABA Playoffs The 1969 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1968-1969 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Oakland Oaks defeating the Eastern Division champion Indiana Pacers, four games to one in the ABA Finals.-Notable events:The...		Guard/Forward	Oakland Oaks Oakland Oaks (ABA) The Oakland Oaks were a charter member of the original American Basketball Association. Formed in February 1967 as the Oakland Americans, the team changed its name to the Oaks prior to play that fall. Playing in the ABA during the 1967-68 and 1968-69 seasons, the team colors were green and gold.The...
1970 1970 ABA Playoffs The 1970 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1969-1970 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Indiana Pacers defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Stars, four games to two in the ABA Finals.The Indiana Pacers...		Forward/Guard	Indiana Pacers Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
1971 1971 ABA Playoffs The 1971 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1970-1971 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Utah Stars defeating the Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels, four games to three in the ABA finals.-Notable...		Center Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...	Utah Stars Utah Stars The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...
1972 1972 ABA Playoffs The 1972 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1971-1972 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers defeating the Eastern Division champion New York Nets, four games to two in the ABA Finals.-Notable events:The...		Guard	Indiana Pacers Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
1973 1973 ABA Playoffs The 1973 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1972-1973 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers defeating the Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels, four games to three in the ABA Finals.-Notable...		Forward/Center Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...	Indiana Pacers Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
1974 1974 ABA Playoffs The 1974 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1973-1974 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion New York Nets defeating the Western Division champion Utah Stars, four games to one in the ABA Finals.-Notable events:A one game...	*	Forward	New York Nets
1975 1975 ABA Playoffs The 1975 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1974-1975 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels defeating the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers, four games to one in the ABA Finals.The Kentucky...	*	Center Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...	Kentucky Colonels Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
1976 1976 ABA Playoffs The 1976 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1975-1976 season. The tournament concluded with the New York Nets defeating the Denver Nuggets four games to two in the ABA Finals....	* (2)	Forward	New York Nets