LeBron James, left, is one of three finalists for the NBA MVP Award. If he wins, it would be his fifth MVP. Kim Klement/Pool Photo via Associated Press
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — This season’s NBA MVP has won the award before.
A trio of past winners of the award – reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, four-time MVP LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and 2017-18 winner James Harden of the Houston Rockets – were announced Saturday as the finalists for this season’s top NBA individual honor.
James would join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (a six-time winner), Michael Jordan and Bill Russell as the NBA’s only five-time MVPs. Antetokounmpo is bidding to become the 12th back-to-back winner of the award, and Harden is vying for his second MVP in three seasons.
“He’s an incredible teammate, plays unselfishly, does everything,” Bucks Coach Mike Budenholzer said of Antetokounmpo last month, stating his best player’s MVP case. “And I think that’s kind of what the MVP is, so we certainly feel like he’s very deserving and we’ll be excited to support him.”
Antetokounmpo is also a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, while Utah’s Rudy Gobert is bidding to win that trophy for a third consecutive season.
The league announced the top three vote-getters in six individual categories. Voting has already taken place by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
The NBA has not set specific dates when the winners will be announced.
None of the games taking place at the NBA’s restart at Walt Disney World factored into the voting, because ballots were due before games began again July 30.
The league took the step of saying games played before the league suspended the season on March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic could factor into award consideration, out of fairness to the eight teams that were not invited to the restart.
The other finalists for NBA honors:
Rookie of the Year: Ja Morant, Memphis; Kendrick Nunn, Miami; Zion Williamson, New Orleans.
Most Improved Player: Bam Adebayo, Miami; Luka Doncic, Dallas; Brandon Ingram, New Orleans.
Sixth Man: Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Clippers; Dennis Schroder, Oklahoma City; Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers.
Defensive Player of the Year: Antetokounmpo; Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers; Rudy Gobert, Utah.
Coach of the Year: Mike Budenholzer, Milwaukee; Billy Donovan, Oklahoma City; Nick Nurse, Toronto.
76ERS: All-Star Ben Simmons will have surgery on his left knee, a big blow for the Philadelphia 76ers and their hopes of making a deep run in this season’s playoffs.
The 76ers announced Saturday that Simmons will be leaving the NBA’s season-restart bubble at Walt Disney World. There was no immediate timeframe for his return, and it’s likely that no firm timetable on his recovery will be set until after the surgery.
Simmons left Philadelphia’s game against Washington on Wednesday midway through the third quarter because of injury, officially diagnosed as a subluxation of the left patella. A subluxation is a partial and temporary dislocation; the patella is the kneecap.
Tests performed since revealed a loose body inside the knee, which led to the decision for surgery.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
CLIPPERS 122, TRAIL BLAZERS 120: Rodney McGruder hit a 3-pointer with 26.5 seconds left, and Los Angeles won even with Kawhi Leonard resting on the bench.
Portland had a chance to ensure a play-in for the Western Conference’s final playoff berth and eliminate Sacramento. The Trail Blazers led much of the game, but the NBA’s top-scoring team inside the bubble was outscored 12-5 in the final 96 seconds.
NUGGETS 134, JAZZ 132: Jamal Murray scored 23 points in his first game of the NBA restart, including the tying and go-ahead baskets, and Denver won in double overtime, overcoming Donovan Mitchell’s 35 points.
PACERS 116, LAKERS 111: T.J. Warren scored 39 points, including seven straight to put Indiana ahead in the final two minutes, and the Pacers improved to 4-1 since the restart.
SUNS 119, HEAT 112: Devin Booker scored 35 points and Jevon Carter added a season-high 20 as Phoenix Suns remained undefeated in the NBA restart.
MAVERICKS 136, BUCKS 132: Luka Doncic scored 36 points in his NBA-leading 17th triple-double, and Dallas scored the last seven points of regulation to force overtime before going on to defeat Milwaukee.
Doncic also had a career-high 19 assists and 14 rebounds on the day when the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year was named a finalist for the most improved award.
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