James Harden wins NBPA MVP, July 19 in Las Vegas. (Photo : Reuters.com)
NBA Champion and Golden State Warriors resident sniper Stephen Curry may have won the NBA Most Valuable Player award for the regular season, but James Harden bagged the honors for the National Basketball Players Association MVP during the NBPA's first-ever awards night last July 19 in Las Vegas.
A Trophy of His Own
Harden didn't come close in the regular season voting for MVP after Curry garnered 100 of 130 first-place votes, but the Houston Rockets star now has some bling of his own.
In his acceptance speech, the Rockets guard thanked the players' union for "giving players a voice to speak their minds.
The Beard finished ahead of Steph Curry in points, registering a season average of 27.4 points , 7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game last season, taking the Rockets to the Western Conference finals where Curry and the Warriors beat them four games to one. Curry averaged 23.8 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.4 rebounds, and went on to win the NBA Championship with the Warriors.
NBA and NBPA awards
The NBA as a league gives out awards of its own to recognize greatness, as usually is judged by basketball legends and veteran journalists. The National Basketball Players' Association Awards or the NBPA Awards provides an opportunity for players to recognize their colleagues for various achievements throughout the season.
Other winners are DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers for Best Defender, Ray Allen for Man of the Year, and Lebron James for the Player You Secretly Wish Was on Your Team award. Curry also won the Best Clutch Player award. He shared this photo on his Instagram account:
A photo posted by Wardell Curry (@stephencurry30) on Jul 21, 2015 at 12:36pm PDT
NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts explained the importance of the event in an April 27 statement:
"Our players have long wanted to recognize greatness from within their own ranks, and with the first-ever Basketball Players Awards we have created a vehicle for them to do so. The level of participation from players in the voting process has been overwhelming so far and we are looking forward to unveiling all of the results this July in Las Vegas," the statement read.
