Every year, the regular-season awards that the league hands out are the subject of all sorts of debate. Sometimes, there are clear winners in certain categories, but there will always be a subset of fans who think their favorite player got robbed of their rightful acknowledgment.
On June 24, the third annual Kia NBA Awards ceremony will air on TNT from Los Angeles, where we’ll finally learn who will take home the hardware in the six major categories: Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Most Improved Player.
The finalists in each of these categories were announced on Friday night prior to tip off of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Bucks and Raptors, and there were very few surprises among the front-runners.
Via NBA.com:
Kia NBA Most Valuable Player
– Giannis Antetokounmpo
– Paul George
– James HardenKia NBA Rookie of the Year
– Deandre Ayton
– Luka Doncic
– Trae YoungKia NBA Most Improved Player
– De’Aaron Fox
– D’Angelo Russell
– Pascal SiakamKia NBA Sixth Man Award
– Montrezl Harrell
– Domantas Sabonis
– Lou WilliamsKia NBA Defensive Player of the Year
– Giannis Antetokounmpo
– Paul George
– Rudy GobertNBA Coach of the Year
– Mike Budenholzer
– Mike Malone
– Doc Rivers
The awards are voted on by a panel of writers and broadcasters from around the world, and the ceremony will also include the awards for Executive of the Year, the Sportsmanship Award, Teammate of the Year, and more. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird will also both receive Lifetime Achievement Awards in honor of their contributions to the NBA over the years.
(NBA.com)
