60s- Bill Russell. He anchored the Celtics into winning nine championships during the decade (Philly won in ‘67), while also winning four NBA MVPs and an ASG MVP. Had the league began giving Finals MVP awards during the decade, Russell would surely have been a multiple recipient.

70s- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was clearly the league’s best player during the decade, winning Rookie of the Year (1970), five NBA MVPs, a Finals MVP and a championship with the Bucks (1971).

80s- Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The decade was defined by the heated rivalry between Magic and Bird, so it would be impossible to simply pick one of them and disregard the other. Their teams went on to win eight of the 10 championships during the decade, with Magic’s Lakers collecting five and Bird’s Celtics three. Magic was named Finals MVP three times while Bird was named twice. Both stars garnered 3 regular season MVPs.

90s- Michael Jordan. MJ led the Bulls to separate three-peats during the 90s, and they could have won more if Jordan didn’t retire briefly from basketball. MJ amassed four regular season MVPs, six Finals MVPs and two ASG MVPs during the decade.

2000–2009 Tim Duncan was the fulcrum of the Spurs throughout this decade, winning three championships, two season MVPs and two Finals MVPs.

2010–2019 Lebron James, whose teams went to eight straight NBA Finals during the decade (not counting the Lakers in 2019–20), winning three championships. Lebron also won three season MVPs, three Finals MVPs, and an ASG MVP.