Prior to Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals last night, the NBA announced the finalists for six awards from the 2017-18 regular season, including Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man Award, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year.
The winners will be announced at the second annual NBA Awards, which will take place on Monday, June 25 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. The event will air on TNT at 9pm ET.
The finalists for the six annual awards are based on voting results from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Most Valuable Player
- Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
- James Harden, Houston Rockets
- LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Rookie of the Year
- Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
- Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Sixth Man Award
- Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets
- Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
- Lou Williams, LA Clippers
Defensive Player of the Year
- Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
- Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
- Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Most Improved Player
- Clint Capela, Houston Rockets
- Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets
- Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
Coach of the Year
- Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors
- Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz
- Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
Other awards that will be handed out on June 25 include executive of the year, sportsmanship award, lifetime achievement award, teammate of the year and a community service award. Additionally, there are several fan-voted awards such as best dunk, assist, block and clutch shot.
