Overview
- The NBA announced three finalists for each of seven regular-season awards on Sunday during NBC’s playoff coverage and official social posts.
- The MVP race was narrowed to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama, highlighting stars from the West’s top seeds.
- Defensive Player of the Year finalists are Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren and Ausar Thompson, and the league plans to reveal that winner Monday.
- The 65-game rule framed eligibility after exemptions cleared Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham for ballots, while a denied appeal kept Anthony Edwards off MVP but on the coach-selected Clutch list.
- Award winners will be announced across broadcasts this week, and the MVP will be international for an eighth straight year because all three finalists were born outside the United States.