Steph Curry was named as the first ever Magic Johnson Western Conference finals Most Valuable Player following the Golden State Warriors series-clinching win over the Dallas Mavericks.
The award was voted on by nine members of the media after Game 5. The league introduced MVP awards for the conference finals earlier this season.
Curry averaged 23.8 points, 7.4 assists, and 6.6 rebounds in the series.
The Miami Heat are the first top playoff seed to not have any players voted onto All-NBA teams since the Atlanta Hawks in the 2014-15 season.
Jimmy Butler was the seventh-place forward, receiving zero First-Team votes, two Second-Team votes, and 26 Third-Team votes. Butler finished behind Pascal Siakam and LeBron James on the Third Team.
Bam Adebayo was voted as the fifth-place center, behind Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert.
Butler and Adebayo were the only two Heat players who received All-NBA votes this season.
Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo headline the 21-22 All-NBA First Team with Joel Embiid on the Second Team despite receiving more points than Jayson Tatum.
Antetokounmpo has received all 100 out of 100 First Team votes in each of the past four seasons and was the only player to do so this season.
First Team
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo
F: Jayson Tatum
C: Nikola Jokic
G: Devin Booker
G: Luka Doncic
Second Team
G: Stephen Curry
G: Ja Morant
F: Kevin Durant
F: DeMar DeRozan
C: Joel Embiid
Third Team
G: Trae Young
G: Chris Paul
F: LeBron James
F: Pascal Siakam
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
The NBA today announced that Reggie Bullock has been named the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion. Bullock was selected from a group of five finalists for his dedication to pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically marginalized or systemically disadvantaged, specifically within the LGBTQ+ community.
After his sister, Mia Henderson – a transgender woman – was murdered in 2014, Bullock dedicated his life to honoring her legacy and fighting for increased visibility and acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community Upon joining the Mavericks ahead of the 2021-22 season, Bullock immediately connected with organizations in the Dallas area, including Abounding Prosperity, Dallas Southern Pride, House of Rebirth, The Black-Tie Dinner, the Resource Center and the Muhlashia Booker Foundation, to take action in support of their work.
“We are all one, and I believe love lies in everybody’s heart,” said Bullock. “It’s incredibly important to me as a cisgender athlete to stand in support of the trans and LGBTQ+ community.”
The NBA has announced the 21-22 All-Defensive Teams, headlined by Marcus Smart and Mikal Bridges.
NBA All-Defensive First Team
NBA All-Defensive Second Team
Toronto Raptors guard-forward Scottie Barnes, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Evan Mobley have been unanimously selected to the 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today.
The three players each received NBA All-Rookie First Team votes on all 100 ballots from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Joining Barnes, Cunningham and Mobley (200 total points each) on the 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie First Team are Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (183 points; 84 First Team votes) and Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (158 points; 58 First Team votes).
Barnes, the 2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year, ranked third among first-year NBA players in points (15.3 ppg) and rebounds (7.5 rpg) and fifth in assists (3.5 apg). He was named the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month twice (February and March/April). Cunningham, the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, led all rookies in points (17.4 ppg), was second in assists (5.6 apg) and finished fifth in rebounds (5.5 rpg). He earned NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for January.
Mobley, who finished second to Barnes in voting for the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award, led all rookies in rebounds (8.3 rpg) and blocked shots (1.67 bpg) and was fifth in points (15.0 ppg). He was honored as the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November.
Wagner, the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December, started all 79 of his games and ranked fourth among first-year NBA players in points (15.4 ppg). Green, the Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March/April, finished second among rookies in scoring average (17.3 ppg) and recorded at least 20 points in 17 of his final 25 games.
The 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (123 points), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (122), Denver Nuggets guard Bones Hyland (81), Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu (75) and Indiana Pacers guard Chris Duarte (52).
Zach Kleiman of the Memphis Grizzlies has been named the 2021-22 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year.
This is the first NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award for Kleiman, who has led Basketball Operations for Memphis for the last three years. Kleiman, 33, is the youngest recipient of the award, which has been presented annually since the 1972-73 season. He also becomes the second person to earn the honor with the Grizzlies, joining Jerry West (2003-04).
Kleiman received 16 of 29 first-place votes and earned 85 total points from a panel of team basketball executives across the NBA.
Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman and Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas tied for second place with 27 points each.
Phoenix Suns General Manager James Jones and Miami Heat President Pat Riley tied for fourth place with 26 points each.
The NBA has announced it is adding a pair of new postseason awards for the best player in each Conference Finals.
The Eastern Conference Finals MVP will be named after Larry Bird, while the Western Conference Finals MVP will be named after Magic Johnson.
“I am very honored to have my name associated with the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy,” said Bird. “I know how tough it is to get to this great milestone of the Eastern Conference Finals and to be named the Most Valuable Player makes it even more special.”
“The NBA Conference Finals represent the last hurdle a team must face for an opportunity to make it to the big stage, the NBA Finals,” said Johnson. “I’m truly honored to have my name memorialized on the Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Trophy. This player excels on both ends of the court, makes his teammates better and leads his team to the greatest stage in basketball.”
Nikola Jokic has officially won his second straight NBA MVP, finishing with 875 points compared to Joel Embiid in second with 706 and Giannis Antetokounmpo with 595. Jokic received 65 first place votes, 27 second place votes and six third place votes. Embiid received 26 first place votes, 39 second place votes and 34 third place votes.
Devin Booker and Luka Doncic rounded out the top-5.
Joel Embiid congratulated Nikola Jokic for winning MVP and expounded on his feelings on the award.
"No," Embiid said, when asked if he was surprised when ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that Jokic would again win the award. "I mean, this is something that I knew weeks ago, even probably two weeks before the season ended, after those games against whether it was Denver and Milwaukee, and when [ESPN did its] straw poll or whatever. I just knew it wasn't gonna happen.
"Obviously, congrats to Nikola. He deserved it. He had an amazing season. There's no right or wrong. There was a lot of candidates. It could have gone either way. Giannis [Antetokounmpo], Devin Booker, being on the best team in the league, by far. So, I guess, every year is all about whatever you guys decide, whatever fits the narrative as far as who's gonna win."
Embiid also finished second last season.
"I'm not mad," Embiid said. "That's two years in a row I put myself in that position. It didn't happen. It is almost like, at this point, it is whatever. Whatever happens, happens.
"Last year, I campaigned about it. This year, I answered questions when I was asked, and in the next few years until I retire, it's almost like ... like I said, I wonder what else I have to do to win it, and to me, it's like, at this point it's like, it's whatever. It's all about focusing, not that I wasn't focused on the bigger picture, but you know, it's really time to really put all my energy into the bigger picture, which is to win the whole thing."
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