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NBA Awards Finalists 2017: LeBron James out of MVP running

By Cody Williams

May 17, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts to the official over a call during the first half in game one of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts to the official over a call during the first half in game one of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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The three finalists for the major 2017 NBA Awards have been announced and LeBron James is not among the trio vying for MVP.

The 2017 NBA Awards are all about uncharted territory. That, of course, first begins with how and when the awards will be presented. On June 26, the winners of these honors will be presented with their hardware as they’re announced at the NBA Awards show. However, prior to Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, the 2017 NBA Awards finalists were announced.

To narrow down the field, three finalists were announced for each award. That left an interesting announcement coming for MVP. Yes, it’s largely been a two-man race between Russell Westbrook and James Harden for the award. However, the question was whether it would be LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard left out in the cold with the third finalist being announced.

In an ironic twist, it was LeBron who was not among the announced finalists prior to him playing in Game 2. Even more ironic is that James has put on his annual showing of “I’m Still the Best Player in the World” thus far through these playoffs. Granted, he coasted at times in the regular season, but it’s no less weird to see him not even be among the three finalists for MVP.

Who else was snubbed and who else is up for each of the major 2017 NBA Awards? The finalists for each are below:

Most Improved Player

Giannis Antetokounmpo, G/F – Milwaukee Bucks
Nikola Jokic, C – Denver Nuggets
Rudy Gobert, C – Utah Jazz

Sixth Man of the Year

Andre Iguodala, F – Golden State Warriors
Eric Gordon, G – Houston Rockets
Lou Williams, G – Houston Rockets

Defensive Player of the Year

Draymond Green, F/C – Golden State Warriors
Kawhi Leonard, F – San Antonio Spurs
Rudy Gobert, C – Utah Jazz

Rookie of the Year

Malcolm Brogdon, G – Milwaukee Bucks
Joel Embiid, C – Philadelphia 76ers
Dario Saric, F – Philadelphia 76ers

Coach of the Year

Mike D’Antoni – Houston Rockets
Gregg Popovich – San Antonio Spurs
Erik Spoelstra – Miami Heat

MVP

James Harden, G – Houston Rockets
Kawhi Leonard, F – San Antonio Spurs
Russell Westbrook, G – Oklahoma City Thunder

In addition to the oddity of James not being a finalist for MVP, it’s also odd to see two Sixth Man of the Year Finalists on the same team. While it’s possible due to Lou Williams being traded, it’s still an amusing tidbit from this announcement.

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And now we all wait until June 26 to find out the winners. There wasn’t much shock outside of LeBron in regards to the finalists. But perhaps that’s coming when the winners are announced.