Giannis Antetokounmpo or James Harden for MVP? Luka Doncic or Trae Young for Rookie of the Year? The wait is almost over for the “2019 NBA Awards Show,” hosted by Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal (9 p.m. ET, TNT). Here’s the list of finalists for each major award.
Note: Six of the awards are voted on by the media: MVP, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man Award and Most Improved Player. Other awards include Executive of the Year (voted on by the league’s executives), Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year (voted on by the players), NBA Sportsmanship Award (voted on by the players), the NBA Cares Community Assist Award (voted on by fans and a panel of judges), the Lifetime Achievement Award, the NBA Hustle Award and the Sager Strong Award.
More: All-NBA teams | All-Rookie | All-Defense | Awards history
Most Valuable Player
Finalists:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Rookie of the Year
Finalists:
Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Sixth Man
Finalists:
Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
Lou Williams, LA Clippers
Defensive Player of the Year
Finalists:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Most Improved Player
Finalists:
De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
D’Angelo Russell, Brooklyn Nets
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Coach of the Year
Finalists:
Mike Budenholzer, Milwaukee Bucks
Michael Malone, Denver Nuggets
Doc Rivers, LA Clippers