NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player

The Most Outstanding Player is awarded to one player after the conclusion of the championship game of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. Accredited media members at the championship game vote on the award.

The player that wins the award is usually a member of the championship team. Ten men and one woman have won the award despite not winning the championship. The last man to do so was Akeem Olajuwon in 1983 and Dawn Staley was the only woman to do so when she won the award in 1991.

Six men and five women have won the award multiple times. Lew Alcindor won the men’s award three times from 1967 to 1969 and Breanna Stewart won the women’s award four times from 2013 to 2016.

One person has vacated the award. In 1971, Howard Porter won the award despite Villanova losing to UCLA in the championship game. Villanova later vacated their entire season. One other person, Luke Hancock, had his MOP award vacated when the NCAA vacated Louisville's 2013 national championship, but the NCAA later restored to the award as part of a settlement in a lawsuit with him due to him not being involved in the scandal.

In 1944, Arnie Ferrin of Utah was the first freshman to win the award.

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

NCAA Division I men's Most Outstanding Player

 * 1939 – Jimmy Hull, Ohio State*
 * 1940 – Marvin Huffman, Indiana
 * 1941 – John Kotz, Wisconsin
 * 1942 – Howie Dallmar, Stanford
 * 1943 – Ken Sailors, Wyoming
 * 1944 – Arnie Ferrin, Utah
 * 1945 – Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M
 * 1946 – Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M
 * 1947 – George Kaftan, Holy Cross
 * 1948 – Alex Groza, Kentucky
 * 1949 – Alex Groza, Kentucky
 * 1950 – Irwin Dambrot, CCNY
 * 1951 – Bill Spivey, Kentucky
 * 1952 – Clyde Lovellette, Kansas
 * 1953 – B. H. Born, Kansas*
 * 1954 – Tom Gola, La Salle
 * 1955 – Bill Russell, San Francisco
 * 1956 – Hal Lear, Temple*
 * 1957 – Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas*
 * 1958 – Elgin Baylor, Seattle*
 * 1959 – Jerry West, West Virginia*
 * 1960 – Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
 * 1961 – Jerry Lucas, Ohio State*
 * 1962 – Paul Hogue, Cincinnati
 * 1963 – Art Heyman, Duke*
 * 1964 – Walt Hazzard, UCLA
 * 1965 – Bill Bradley, Princeton*
 * 1966 – Jerry Chambers, Utah*
 * 1967 – Lew Alcindor, UCLA
 * 1968 – Lew Alcindor, UCLA
 * 1969 – Lew Alcindor, UCLA
 * 1970 – Sidney Wicks, UCLA
 * 1971 – Vacated
 * 1972 – Bill Walton, UCLA
 * 1973 – Bill Walton, UCLA
 * 1974 – David Thompson, NC State
 * 1975 – Richard Washington, UCLA
 * 1976 – Kent Benson, Indiana
 * 1977 – Butch Lee, Marquette
 * 1978 – Jack Givens, Kentucky
 * 1979 – Earvin Johnson, Michigan State
 * 1980 – Darrell Griffith, Louisville
 * 1981 – Isiah Thomas, Indiana
 * 1982 – James Worthy, North Carolina
 * 1983 – Akeem Olajuwon, Houston*
 * 1984 – Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
 * 1985 – Ed Pinckney, Villanova
 * 1986 – Pervis Ellison, Louisville
 * 1987 – Keith Smart, Indiana
 * 1988 – Danny Manning, Kansas
 * 1989 – Glen Rice, Michigan
 * 1990 – Anderson Hunt, UNLV
 * 1991 – Christian Laettner, Duke
 * 1992 – Bobby Hurley, Duke
 * 1993 – Donald Williams, North Carolina
 * 1994 – Corliss Williamson, Arkansas
 * 1995 – Ed O'Bannon, UCLA
 * 1996 – Tony Delk, Kentucky
 * 1997 – Miles Simon, Arizona
 * 1998 – Jeff Sheppard, Kentucky
 * 1999 – Richard Hamilton, Connecticut
 * 2000 – Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State
 * 2001 – Shane Battier, Duke
 * 2002 – Juan Dixon, Maryland
 * 2003 – Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
 * 2004 – Emeka Okafor, Connecticut
 * 2005 – Sean May, North Carolina
 * 2006 – Joakim Noah, Florida
 * 2007 – Corey Brewer, Florida
 * 2008 – Mario Chalmers, Kansas
 * 2009 – Wayne Ellington, North Carolina
 * 2010 – Kyle Singler, Duke
 * 2011 – Kemba Walker, Connecticut
 * 2012 – Anthony Davis, Kentucky
 * 2013 – Luke Hancock, Louisville
 * 2014 – Shabazz Napier, UConn
 * 2015 – Tyus Jones, Duke
 * 2016 – Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova
 * 2017 – Joel Berry II, North Carolina
 * 2018 – Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova
 * 2019 – Kyle Guy, Virginia
 * 2020 – No tournament
 * 2021 – Jared Butler, Baylor
 * 2022 – Ochai Agbaji, Kansas
 * 2023 – Adama Sanogo, UConn
 * 2024 – Tristen Newton, UConn

NCAA Division I women's Most Outstanding Player

 * 1982 – Janice Lawrence, Louisiana Tech
 * 1983 – Cheryl Miller, Southern California
 * 1984 – Cheryl Miller, Southern California
 * 1985 – Tracy Claxton, Old Dominion
 * 1986 – Clarissa Davis, Texas
 * 1987 – Tonya Edwards, Tennessee
 * 1988 – Erica Westbrooks, Louisiana Tech
 * 1989 – Bridgette Gordon, Tennessee
 * 1990 – Jennifer Azzi, Stanford
 * 1991 – Dawn Staley, Virginia*
 * 1992 – Molly Goodenbour, Stanford
 * 1993 – Sheryl Swoopes, Texas Tech
 * 1994 – Charlotte Smith, North Carolina
 * 1995 – Rebecca Lobo, Connecticut
 * 1996 – Michelle M. Marciniak, Tennessee
 * 1997 – Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee
 * 1998 – Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee
 * 1999 – Ukari Figgs, Purdue
 * 2000 – Shea Ralph, Connecticut
 * 2001 – Ruth Riley, Notre Dame
 * 2002 – Swin Cash, Connecticut
 * 2003 – Diana Taurasi, Connecticut
 * 2004 – Diana Taurasi, Connecticut
 * 2005 – Sophia Young, Baylor
 * 2006 – Laura Harper, Maryland
 * 2007 – Candace Parker, Tennessee
 * 2008 – Candace Parker, Tennessee
 * 2009 – Tina Charles, Connecticut
 * 2010 – Maya Moore, Connecticut
 * 2011 – Danielle Adams, Texas A&M
 * 2012 – Brittney Griner, Baylor
 * 2013 – Breanna Stewart, Connecticut
 * 2014 – Breanna Stewart, UConn
 * 2015 – Breanna Stewart, UConn
 * 2016 – Breanna Stewart, UConn
 * 2017 – A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
 * 2018 – Arike Ogunbowale, Notre Dame
 * 2019 – Chloe Jackson, Baylor
 * 2020 – No tournament
 * 2021 – Haley Jones, Stanford
 * 2022 – Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
 * 2023 – Angel Reese, LSU
 * 2024 – Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina