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Stephen Curry has been awarded the 2022 Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award, the first time he’s been so honored to go along a pair of regular-season Kia MVP awards.

Golden State’s superstar was a unanimous selection after averaging 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in the series. Curry finished with 34 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in Thursday’s clincher, giving him 30 or more points in three straight games at Boston’s TD Garden.

Stephen Curry won unanimously, receiving all 11 votes for Finals MVP. pic.twitter.com/RA7z8BCbsV

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 17, 2022

Curry joins an exclusive list of NBA players who have won four rings, two Kia MVPs and one Finals MVP:

• Stephen Curry
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Tim Duncan
• LeBron James
• Magic Johnson
• Michael Jordan

Thursday’s outing marked an impressive bounce-back performance from Game 5, in which Curry missed all nine 3-point attempts and 15 of 22 shots overall. But in a testament to their depth and defense, the Warriors still won 104-94 to give themselves two chances to clinch the title.

They only needed one thanks in large part to their long-time sharpshooter. Immediately slugged with a 14-2 Boston run, the Warriors responded with a vengeance, outscoring the Celtics by 27 over the rest of the first half to grab a commanding lead that would never dip below eight the rest of the way.

That came with 5:35 minutes left in the game as the Celtics erased much of what had been a 22-point deficit. But Curry and the Warriors would not be denied. He scored a finger roll and then a dagger 3-pointer with 3:17 left to restore Golden State’s lead to 15 and end Boston’s hopes.

Game 5 notwithstanding, Curry was remarkably consistent with 34, 29, 31, 43 — perhaps the signature performance of his career, in Game 4 — and finally 34 points in the other five contests.