Giannis Antetokounmpo to battle Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid for 2022/23 MVP

Check out the finalists for the NBA 2022/23 regular season awards.

The finalists for the following seven awards—Clutch Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, and Coach of the Year have been revealed by the NBA.

The 2023 NBA Playoffs broadcast will feature the announcement of each award’s winner.

These announcements will start next week.  The NBA will release the announcement schedule for the week of April 17 on Sunday, April 16.

A global group of sportswriters and broadcasters cast their votes for the three finalists for each annual award, and those results determine the winners. 

Following the announcement of the end-of-season awards, the full ballots cast by each voter for each honor will be released on the NBA website.

NBA MVP was named after Michael Jordan, and Defensive Player of the Year was named after Hakeem Olajuwon.

MVP breakdown

Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player Giannis Sina Antetokounmpo made the final list for the 2022/23 NBA Most Valuable Player award.

For the second consecutive year, the three contenders for the league’s MVP award were announced as Nikola Jokic, the two-time defending NBA Most Valuable Player, Cameroon basketball star Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Jokic would join Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird as the only players in NBA history to win three consecutive MVP awards. 

He just completed a season in which he averaged a triple-double, making him the first center to do it, and helped Denver win the Western Conference’s top seed.

For the second consecutive season, Embiid led the league in scoring, becoming the first center to do so since Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo in the 1970s. In the previous two MVP elections, he came in second place to Jokic.

As he pursues his third MVP trophy, Antetokounmpo guided the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA’s best record.

Most Valuable Player

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Defensive Player of the Year

Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies 

Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks 

Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

Most Improved Player

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz

Rookie of the Year

Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz

Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder 

Sixth Man of the Year

Malcolm Brogdon, Boston Celtics

Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks

Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks 

Clutch Player of the Year 

Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls

De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings

Coach of the Year

Mike Brown, Sacramento Kings

Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City Thunder

Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics

Check out the new awards to celebrate the NBA regular season.

Background

The NBA before the start of the new campaign unveiled the new awards to be given out at the conclusion of the 2022/23 regular season.

The NBA playoffs are regarded as the ultimate competition for basketball worldwide which has diminished the attention to the regular season in recent years.

The NBA Regular season now has more importance as there are awards to fight for the team, players, and front office.

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