Ranking the best NBA Summer League MVPs of all time, with just one ring among them

And the New York Knicks hero who finally bucked the trend didn’t do so as the superstar. He was a pivotal, do-it-all role player living up to his potential in a different way.

So who has shot to NBA stardom and who has filled a role consistently?

The five best Summer League MVPs of all time

5. Jonas Valanciunas (2013) — Denver Nuggets

Valanciunas won the award with Toronto in 2013 and never made an All-Star team, but he built one of the longest and most dependable careers of anyone on this list.

Across 14 seasons with the Raptors, Grizzlies, Pelicans and others, the Lithuanian center has averaged close to a double-double for his career, at 12.8 points and 9.0 rebounds.

He played his 1,000th NBA game in April 2026, the first Lithuanian to reach the mark. He now backs up Nikola Jokic in Denver, with a possible move to Europe on the table for next season.

4. Josh Hart (2018) — New York Knicks

The most recent addition to the list, and the only champion on it. Hart won Summer League MVP with the Lakers in 2018, then bounced through three teams before settling in New York.

He has never been an All-Star, and he never needed to be. Hart won the 2026 title with the Knicks as a relentless, do-it-all wing — rebounding, defending and doing the unglamorous work that title teams require.

He, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges became the first trio of teammates to win both an NCAA championship and an NBA title together.

3. John Wall (2010) — retired

Wall tore through the 2010 Summer League and carried that form into genuine stardom in Washington. He was a five-time All-Star between 2014 and 2018, made All-NBA Third Team in 2017 and won the 2014 Slam Dunk Contest.

At his peak, he averaged 23.1 points and 10.7 assists, and he remains the Wizards’ all-time leader in assists.

A ruptured Achilles and recurring knee trouble wrecked the back half of his career. He last played in 2022-23 and retired in 2025, taking up an analyst role with NBA on Prime Video.

2. Blake Griffin (2009) — retired

Griffin won the 2009 award, missed his entire first NBA season with a knee injury, then announced himself with a unanimous Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010-11.

Six All-Star selections, five All-NBA nods and a 2011 Slam Dunk title — the famous leap over a car — made him the face of the Clippers’ “Lob City” years. He finished third in MVP voting in 2013-14.

Griffin retired in 2024 after 13 seasons and now appears alongside Wall as an analyst on NBA on Prime Video.

1. Damian Lillard (2012) — Portland Trail Blazers

No contest at the top. It’s Dame Time.

Lillard shared the 2012 award with Josh Selby, then became one of the finest guards of his generation.

Nine All-Star appearances, seven All-NBA selections, an Olympic gold medal and a place on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team fill up his resume, alongside the title of Portland’s all-time leading scorer.

He tore his Achilles in the 2025 playoffs and was waived by Milwaukee, then returned home to Portland, sitting out all of 2025-26 to rehab with a 2026-27 comeback hopefully on the cards.

Honorable mentions

Two more came close to cracking the list. Lonzo Ball (2017) looked like a future cornerstone before knee injuries cost him more than two full seasons; he split 2025-26 between Cleveland and Utah and is now a free agent.

Keegan Murray (2022) is the pick of the recent winners — a five-year, $140 million man in Sacramento — though injuries held him to 23 games this season. Still, his elite shot-making suggests he could climb a few spots in the coming years.

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