After earning his first All-Star selection, the Philadelphia 76ers’ point guard Tyrese Maxey received recognition for his outstanding 2023-24 campaign. On Tuesday, Maxey was unveiled as the recipient of the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

Maxey received 51 first-place votes and a total of 319 points from the panel of voters. Chicago Bulls’ Coby White came in second with 32 first-place votes and 305 total points, while Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun had 92 points.

After the 76ers traded James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers in the early 2023-24 season, Maxey was trusted with the starting point guard role and ended up delivering his career season. He averaged career-highs across the board, finishing the campaign with 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.0 steals.

“I have had to take different steps,” Maxey said after being presented with the award. “In the offseason, I didn’t know what the situation was going to be with James, so my thing was I have to work on pick and roll every day, working on passing, working on reads … those little things excite me the most, because I don’t think I couldn’t have made the plays I’m making this year in recent years.

The award for Most Improved Player is the first regular-season award presented for the 2023-24 season. In the following days, more awards will be handed out, including awards for Coach of the Year and Clutch player of the year.

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The NBA announced the finalists for its regular season awards for the 2023-24 season, including Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. 

The list of finalists for the MVP award includes Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, and Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Jokic is looking for his third MVP award, while Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander are the first-time finalists.

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert is looking to add another DPOY award to his resume, having claimed the honor three times so far. He will be challenged by Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo and San Antonio Spurs’ rookie Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama is also in the running for the ROY award and is the overwhelming favorite to win it. OKC’s Chet Holmgren and Charlotte Hornets’ Brandon Miller are the two other finalists.

OKC’s Mark Daigneault, Timberwolves’ Chris Finch, and Orlando Magic’s Jamahl Mosley are in the running for the Coach of the Year award. Daigneault led his team to a 57-25 record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, while Finch and Timberwolves finished just one win behind OKC with a 56-26 record. Mosley, on the other hand, guided the Magic to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 47-35 record and the first playoff appearance since 2019–20.

The finalists for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award are Malik Monk (Sacramento Kings), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks), and Naz Reid (Timberwolves). Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers), Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets), and Coby White (Chicago Bulls) are in the running for the Most Improved Player award, while the Clutch Player of the Year award will go to either Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) or Gilgeous-Alexander.

The winners for each award will be announced during the NBA playoffs.

The post NBA Announces Finalists for 2023-24 Regular Season Awards, Including MVP and DPOY appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is often viewed as the best player in the history of the NBA. And the league appears to be agreeing.  

The NBA just announced that its annual MVP award, given to the most valuable player in a given season, will be named after Jordan. The announcement was followed by the unveiling of the redesigned trophy.

Jordan won five MVP awards in his career, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s six MVP honors. He led the Bulls to six NBA championships and made the All-Star team 14 times. He was also the scoring leader 10 times and had an NBA Defensive Player of the Year award on his resume as well.

The first recipient of the new Michael Jordan MVP trophy will be the Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. The NBA decided to award the trophy retroactively to Jokic for his MVP campaign in the 2021-22 season. 

Besides Michael Jordan, the league decided to honor a number of other iconic NBA players. The Defensive Player of the Year award will be named after Houston Rockets’ great Hakeem Olajuwon, while the Rookie of the Year trophy will carry the name of Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain.

John Havlicek, the eight-time NBA title winner with the Boston Celtics, will lend its name to the Sixth Man of the Year trophy, while the Most Improved Player of the Year award will now carry the name of one of the professional basketball pioneers George Mikan.

The post NBA Names MVP Award After Michael Jordan, Presents Redesigned Trophy appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The New York Knicks’ Julius Randle is this year’s recipient of the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award, the league announced on Tuesday night.

Randle was voted the winner almost unanimously, having received 98 first-place votes from a possible 100. The Detroit Pistons’ Jerami Grant received the two remaining first-place votes and came in second while the Denver Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. rounded the top three.

Randle is the first Knicks player to receive the MIP award since it was introduced in 1985. The 26-year-old player also became the only player alongside Hedo Turkoglu to win while already being in the league for seven seasons or more.

Julius Randle has been enjoying a breakthrough campaign that saw him post career-best numbers all across the board. He finished the regular season averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and six assists, and was the Knicks leader in all of these categories.

These strong performances gave Randle his first All-Star nod and helped the Knicks get to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

“I just wanna say thank you to everybody involved,” said Randle during a chat with reporters via video call. “I mean, it truly was a team thing.”

Randle spent the first four years of his career with the LA Lakers, who selected him seventh in the 2014 NBA Draft. He then played one year in New Orleans before inking a three-year, $63 million contract with the Knicks in 2019.

The post Knicks’ Julius Randle Named NBA’s Most Improved Player for 2020-21 Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Houston Rockets’ James Harden, New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, and Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James are the finalists for 2017-18 regular season NBA MVP award, the league has announced on Wednesday.

James Harden, who is the overwhelming favorite to be named NBA MVP, has averaged 30.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game while leading his Rockets to 65 wins and number one seed in the Western Conference. Harden missed out on MVP award last season when he finished second in the voting behind Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook.

This will be the first time for Anthony Davis to be in the MVP finalists after he leads the Pelicans into the playoffs following the injury of DeMarcus Cousins. Davis ended the regular season averaging 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.6 blocks per game.

Finally, LeBron James is looking to get his fifth NBA MVP award, which would make him tied with Michael Jordan. James has played one of the best regular seasons in his career, averaging 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

NBA also announced finalists for other awards, with the winners set to be revealed on June 25. The winners for most of the awards will be voted on by a panel of 100 media members, while the fans will have the opportunity to determine award winners for the best dunk, assist, block and clutch shot of the year.

You can check out the finalists for other awards below.

Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis (Pelicans), Joel Embiid (76ers), Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Coach of the Year: Dwane Casey (Toronto Raptors), Quin Snyder (Jazz), Brad Stevens (Celtics)
Most Improved Player: Clint Capela (Rockets), Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn Nets), Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)
Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon (Rockets), Lou Williams (LA Clippers), Fred VanVleet (Raptors)

The post James Harden, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James Finalists for NBA MVP Award appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After earning his first All-Star selection, the Philadelphia 76ers’ point guard Tyrese Maxey received recognition for his outstanding 2023-24 campaign. On Tuesday, Maxey was unveiled as the recipient of the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

Maxey received 51 first-place votes and a total of 319 points from the panel of voters. Chicago Bulls’ Coby White came in second with 32 first-place votes and 305 total points, while Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun had 92 points.

After the 76ers traded James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers in the early 2023-24 season, Maxey was trusted with the starting point guard role and ended up delivering his career season. He averaged career-highs across the board, finishing the campaign with 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.0 steals.

“I have had to take different steps,” Maxey said after being presented with the award. “In the offseason, I didn’t know what the situation was going to be with James, so my thing was I have to work on pick and roll every day, working on passing, working on reads … those little things excite me the most, because I don’t think I couldn’t have made the plays I’m making this year in recent years.

The award for Most Improved Player is the first regular-season award presented for the 2023-24 season. In the following days, more awards will be handed out, including awards for Coach of the Year and Clutch player of the year.

The post 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey Named NBA’s Most Improved Player for 2023-24 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The NBA announced the finalists for its regular season awards for the 2023-24 season, including Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. 

The list of finalists for the MVP award includes Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, and Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Jokic is looking for his third MVP award, while Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander are the first-time finalists.

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert is looking to add another DPOY award to his resume, having claimed the honor three times so far. He will be challenged by Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo and San Antonio Spurs’ rookie Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama is also in the running for the ROY award and is the overwhelming favorite to win it. OKC’s Chet Holmgren and Charlotte Hornets’ Brandon Miller are the two other finalists.

OKC’s Mark Daigneault, Timberwolves’ Chris Finch, and Orlando Magic’s Jamahl Mosley are in the running for the Coach of the Year award. Daigneault led his team to a 57-25 record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, while Finch and Timberwolves finished just one win behind OKC with a 56-26 record. Mosley, on the other hand, guided the Magic to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 47-35 record and the first playoff appearance since 2019–20.

The finalists for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award are Malik Monk (Sacramento Kings), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks), and Naz Reid (Timberwolves). Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers), Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets), and Coby White (Chicago Bulls) are in the running for the Most Improved Player award, while the Clutch Player of the Year award will go to either Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) or Gilgeous-Alexander.

The winners for each award will be announced during the NBA playoffs.

The post NBA Announces Finalists for 2023-24 Regular Season Awards, Including MVP and DPOY appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is often viewed as the best player in the history of the NBA. And the league appears to be agreeing.  

The NBA just announced that its annual MVP award, given to the most valuable player in a given season, will be named after Jordan. The announcement was followed by the unveiling of the redesigned trophy.

Jordan won five MVP awards in his career, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s six MVP honors. He led the Bulls to six NBA championships and made the All-Star team 14 times. He was also the scoring leader 10 times and had an NBA Defensive Player of the Year award on his resume as well.

The first recipient of the new Michael Jordan MVP trophy will be the Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. The NBA decided to award the trophy retroactively to Jokic for his MVP campaign in the 2021-22 season. 

Besides Michael Jordan, the league decided to honor a number of other iconic NBA players. The Defensive Player of the Year award will be named after Houston Rockets’ great Hakeem Olajuwon, while the Rookie of the Year trophy will carry the name of Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain.

John Havlicek, the eight-time NBA title winner with the Boston Celtics, will lend its name to the Sixth Man of the Year trophy, while the Most Improved Player of the Year award will now carry the name of one of the professional basketball pioneers George Mikan.

The post NBA Names MVP Award After Michael Jordan, Presents Redesigned Trophy appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The New York Knicks’ Julius Randle is this year’s recipient of the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award, the league announced on Tuesday night.

Randle was voted the winner almost unanimously, having received 98 first-place votes from a possible 100. The Detroit Pistons’ Jerami Grant received the two remaining first-place votes and came in second while the Denver Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. rounded the top three.

Randle is the first Knicks player to receive the MIP award since it was introduced in 1985. The 26-year-old player also became the only player alongside Hedo Turkoglu to win while already being in the league for seven seasons or more.

Julius Randle has been enjoying a breakthrough campaign that saw him post career-best numbers all across the board. He finished the regular season averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and six assists, and was the Knicks leader in all of these categories.

These strong performances gave Randle his first All-Star nod and helped the Knicks get to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

“I just wanna say thank you to everybody involved,” said Randle during a chat with reporters via video call. “I mean, it truly was a team thing.”

Randle spent the first four years of his career with the LA Lakers, who selected him seventh in the 2014 NBA Draft. He then played one year in New Orleans before inking a three-year, $63 million contract with the Knicks in 2019.

The post Knicks’ Julius Randle Named NBA’s Most Improved Player for 2020-21 Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Houston Rockets’ James Harden, New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, and Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James are the finalists for 2017-18 regular season NBA MVP award, the league has announced on Wednesday.

James Harden, who is the overwhelming favorite to be named NBA MVP, has averaged 30.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game while leading his Rockets to 65 wins and number one seed in the Western Conference. Harden missed out on MVP award last season when he finished second in the voting behind Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook.

This will be the first time for Anthony Davis to be in the MVP finalists after he leads the Pelicans into the playoffs following the injury of DeMarcus Cousins. Davis ended the regular season averaging 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.6 blocks per game.

Finally, LeBron James is looking to get his fifth NBA MVP award, which would make him tied with Michael Jordan. James has played one of the best regular seasons in his career, averaging 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

NBA also announced finalists for other awards, with the winners set to be revealed on June 25. The winners for most of the awards will be voted on by a panel of 100 media members, while the fans will have the opportunity to determine award winners for the best dunk, assist, block and clutch shot of the year.

You can check out the finalists for other awards below.

Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis (Pelicans), Joel Embiid (76ers), Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Coach of the Year: Dwane Casey (Toronto Raptors), Quin Snyder (Jazz), Brad Stevens (Celtics)
Most Improved Player: Clint Capela (Rockets), Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn Nets), Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)
Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon (Rockets), Lou Williams (LA Clippers), Fred VanVleet (Raptors)

The post James Harden, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James Finalists for NBA MVP Award appeared first on SportzBonanza.