NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2020 – The NBA today announced the finalists for six awards that honor top performers for the 2019-20 regular season: Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, Kia NBA Most Improved Player, Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Kia NBA Sixth Man and NBA Coach of the Year.
The finalists for the six annual awards, based on voting results from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, are listed below in alphabetical order:
Kia NBA Most Valuable Player
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
James Harden, Houston Rockets
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Kia NBA Rookie of the Year
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Kendrick Nunn, Miami Heat
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Kia NBA Most Improved Player
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Kia NBA Sixth Man
Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers
Dennis Schröder, Oklahoma City Thunder
Lou Williams, LA Clippers
NBA Coach of the Year
Mike Budenholzer, Milwaukee Bucks
Billy Donovan, Oklahoma City Thunder
Nick Nurse, Toronto Raptors
Awards voting was based on games played from the start of the regular season through March 11 and did not include “seeding games,” which are taking place July 30 – Aug. 14 for the 22 teams participating in the season restart at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
TNT will announce the award winners during its coverage of the season restart. Complete voting results for each award will be posted at pr.nba.com.
