The NBA announced on Friday that Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks leader Giannis Antetokounmpo are the finalists for NBA regular season MVP award.
Jokic won the prize in the last two years, with Antetokounmpo also winning back-to-back MVP accolades in 2019 and 2020, but this time it’s Embiid who is considered the favourite to get the award. The same three players were the finalists for last year’s prize too.
All the NBA award nominees
The NBA also revealed on Friday the candidates for the rest of the awards.
Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks) and Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) will compete for the Defensive Player of the Year prize, while Malcolm Brogdon (Boston Celtics), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks) and Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks) will compete for the Best Sixth Man award.
Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz) are the finalists for the Most Improved Player award, while one of Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz) and Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder) will receive the Rookie of the Year accolade.
Meanwhile, Mike Brown (Sacramento Kings), Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics) are contenders for Coach of the Year.
Finally, the NBA announced the finalists for a new award, that of Clutch Player of the Year. The three-man list includes the names of Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat), DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls) and De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings).
