As the league announced earlier this season, the first-ever NBA Awards Show will take place in New York City on Monday, June 26, 2017.
The star-studded event will recognize NBA players, teams, coaches and executives for their accomplishments and performances from the 2016-17 NBA season. The show will feature the announcements of the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, Kia NBA Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year.
In an article on USA TODAY Sports this week, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum spoke about how the timing of this year’s historic MVP race could reap benefits for the show.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better MVP race leading into our first NBA awards show,” Tatum told USA TODAY Sports. ” … As a fan, it’s been incredible to see. Such great performances by the players in our league. I also think it’s not just the MVP vote, but there’s a lot of discussion about the coaching job that many of our coaches have done and the performances defensively of many of our players in the league. It’s going to be an incredible celebration of the amount of depth of talent that we have in our league.”
“We’re talking about bringing together the best players in our league, together with celebrities and legends, our teams and ownership,” Tatum added. “It’s a true celebration, but a fun night to celebrate the game of basketball on a global basis.”
The full USA TODAY Sports article can be read here.
