(CNN Philippines, April 18) — The NBA on Monday announced the top three finishers for the highest individual honors in the 2021-2022 season.
The three finalists for each award were based on votes from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
The race for the best player award in the regular season boiled down to talented big men: Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jokic, the reigning NBA MVP, is averaging 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists for the Nuggets who are currently facing the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs. Denver lost Game 1 by 16 points in their visit at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, USA.
Former two-time MVP Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, is on a mission to lead the Bucks to their second consecutive title. He’s averaging 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. Milwaukee holds a 1-0 series lead against the Chicago Bulls in their best-of-seven affair in the playoffs.
Embiid is the reigning scoring leader in the league with 30.6 points per outing to go with 11.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Sixers. Philadelphia took a 1-0 series edge against the Toronto Raptors in their own matchup in the playoffs.
Since its inception in 1955, a total of 14 centers won the NBA MVP award.
Here are the finalists in the other categories:
Rookie of the Year – Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors), Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Defensive Player of the Year – Mikal Bridges (Phoenix Suns), Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)
Most Improved Player – Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), Dejounte Murray (San Antonio Spurs)
Sixth Man of the Year – Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), Cam Johnson (Phoenix Suns), Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Coach of the Year – Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies), Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat), Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns)
The winners will be announced during the stretch of the ongoing postseason.
