Nominees for NBPA's 1st annual Players Awards revealed
Overture, curtains, lights. This is it, you'll hit the heights. And oh what heights we'll hit. On with the show this is it.
The power is in the hands of NBA talent when the 1st annual Players Awards show goes down in Las Vegas on July 19, with the ceremony airing on BET two days later.
While awards honoring the league's top player and rookie are all accounted for, other categories feature more unique titles, like "Hardest to Guard" and "Global Impact Player."
The following is a list of all major categories, along with the four nominees for each:
Best Rookie
• Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers
• Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic
• Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
Best Defender
• Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzlies
• Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
• Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
• DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers
Global Impact Player
• Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls
• Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
• Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
Clutch Performer
• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• James Harden, Houston Rockets
• LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Coach You Most Want to Play For
• Mike Budenholzer, Atlanta Hawks
• Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks
• Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
• Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs
Hardest to Guard
• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• James Harden, Houston Rockets
• LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Best Home Court Advantage
• AT&T Center (San Antonio)
• Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City)
• Moda Center (Portland)
• Oracle Arena (Golden State)
Player You Secretly Wish Was On Your Team
• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
• Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
• LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Most Valuable Player
• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• James Harden, Houston Rockets
• LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
It will be interesting to see who the players select as MVP, with Curry winning the award during the regular season, despite James being widely recognized as the best player on the planet.
We've seen how members of the media choose winners, but with the focus shifting to the athletes they cover, the thought process behind how votes are justified will probably be entirely different.