The NBA basketball award ceremony at the end of each season is a tradition to honor individual achievement in a team sport. For each individual that receives an award basketball is only part of the criteria–the best in the NBA receive awards for off-the-court activities as well.
The biggest award in the annual basketball season awards is the choice for which player will win the NBA Most Valuable Player title. Sports fans and critics have a myriad of criteria, often influenced by their favorite team, but ultimately the award is chosen by sportswriters from across the country. The basketball awards 2008 for MVP was a slam dunk: Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers won it going away. Kobe was one of the top scorers in the league, a top rebounder, and one of the best defenders in the game. Even more impressively, Kobe lead the Lakers to the Finals weeks after the award was given out. Ultimately, the Lake Show was outplayed by the Celtics but it was the Laker’s first appearance after Shaquille O’Neal left after the 2004 season.
Longtime NBA veteran Hedo Turkoglu of the Orlando Magic picked up the Most Improved Player Award presented by Kia Motors in the basketball awards 2008. Turkoglu, who came into the league back in 2000 with the Sacramento Kings, was a rare older veteran to win the most improved player honors, which usually go to an early-career player just getting into the game. Instead, Turkoglu’s 8th season in the league was by far his best, setting personal highs in points, rebounds, assists, games played and field goal percentage from the floor. His 19.2 points per game helped lead the young Magic into the playoffs.
The basketball season awards for 2008 continued with Kevin Garnett being chosen as the Defensive Player of the Year in his first year with the Boston Celtics. Garnett averaged over 9 rebounds per game, over 1 block and steal per game. Also a force on the offensive end, Garnett put up 18.8 points per game for the Celts. KG ran away with the award snagging 90 first place votes from the panel of 124 sportswriters from the US and Canada. One month after this award, Garnett lead his Celtics to win the NBA Finals over the Lakers, winning in six games.
Manu Ginobli of the San Antonio Spurs closed out the basketball award ceremony by taking home the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. Awarded to the best player that came off the bench for more games than he started, Ginobli nearly swept the voting by grabbing 123 of 124 first place votes. He had a great season, putting up career highs in scoring (19.5 points per game), and showed up with almost 5 rebounds per game and 4 assists. His Spurs did not reach as far as were expected, in part due to a late season injury to Ginobli that limited his minutes.
As an electronic basketball scoreboards manufacturer, we here at Electro-Mech understand the importance of covering a variety of sports material, not just the latest how many free throws what star missed in the last finals game or what ref was making bad calls…again. We will continue to cover topics like the one you’ve just read, as the scoreboards continue to light up!