Stephen Curry can add another MVP win to this already impressive track record. Curry won the 2016 NBPA MVP Award.
The NBPA started these awards as somewhat of a subtle attempt to send a message to media members that players are the truly appropriate judge of other players’ abilities.
There’s absolutely no reason that both sets of awards can’t coexist, and the NBPA Awards definitely serves as the lighter, more fun bestowments.
There’s not as much prestige attached to them quite yet, but perhaps as more time passes there will be. They’re a creative way to honor the unique skills of NBA players.
Categories include “Toughest to Guard” and “Player You Secretly Wish Was on your Team,” which evoke numerous opinions, yet aren’t represented by the traditional media awards.
It’s that type of outside the box thinking and informalness that makes these awards closer to VMAs than Grammys, but I’d bet most players try to seek the approval of their peers more than the approval of media members.
MVP
MVP
MVP2016 #PlayersVoice Awards Most Valuable Player goes to @StephenCurry30.https://t.co/a9MxBQzTvJ
— NBPA (@TheNBPA) August 4, 2016
Last year, Curry infamously lost the NBPA MVP to James Harden, but this season the players around the league deemed Curry the most valuable to the success of his team.
Curry also took home “Toughest to Guard” as well as “Clutch Performer.” Voting took place after the regular season.
Curry may not have had a very memorable final couple minutes of game 7 in the NBA Finals, but his performance in overtime against Portland in game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals was certainly one of the most clutch instances in NBA history.
“Best Home Court Advantage” went to the Golden State Warriors and Oracle Arena. No arena gets as loud as Oracle, and visiting teams always have to be apprehensive about the energy that Warriors fans provide.
Each squad also gave out Teammate of the Year awards. Leandro Barbosa won it for the Warriors.
Check out the Western Conference #PlayersVoice Award winners for Best Teammate pic.twitter.com/fOlzy2XhBo
— NBPA (@TheNBPA) August 4, 2016
Everybody on the team really enjoyed having Barbosa as a teammate, so it isn’t a huge surprise that he was the one who got recognized with the honor.
Congrats to Curry and Barbosa, and to all the Warriors fans who year in and year out make Oracle Arena such an electric place to watch a basketball game.