NBA Most Improved Player Award


The NBA's Most Improved Player Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States and Brazil, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.
Since its inception, the award has been given to 31 different players. No player has ever won the award twice. The most recent recipient is Pascal Siakam. Boris Diaw, Kevin Love, and Pascal Siakam are the only award winners to win an NBA Championship, and Siakam is the only winner to win a championship in the same season as the award. Rony Seikaly, Gheorghe Mureșan, Boris Diaw, Hedo Türkoğlu, Goran Dragić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Pascal Siakam are the only award winners born outside the United States.
Only Alvin Robertson, Dana Barros, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O'Neal, Danny Granger, Kevin Love, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Oladipo have won the award and been selected as an NBA All-Star in the same season; Dale Ellis, Kevin Duckworth, Kevin Johnson, Gilbert Arenas, Zach Randolph, Goran Dragic and Pascal Siakam were the other winners who were later selected to play in the All-Star Game. Only McGrady, O'Neal, George, Dragić, Antetokounmpo and Oladipo won the award and were named to the All-NBA Team in the same season. Pascal Siakam later followed the year after he won the award. The Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic have both seen five players win the award, the most in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first recipient of the award to later become an NBA MVP. Tracy McGrady is the first recipient of the award to be named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Winners

^Denotes player who is still active in the NBA
*Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

SeasonPlayerPositionNationalityTeam
GuardUnited StatesSan Antonio Spurs
Guard/ForwardUnited StatesSeattle SuperSonics
CenterUnited StatesPortland Trail Blazers
GuardUnited StatesPhoenix Suns
CenterUnited StatesMiami Heat
GuardUnited StatesOrlando Magic
Center/ForwardUnited StatesWashington Bullets
GuardUnited StatesDenver Nuggets
ForwardUnited StatesWashington Bullets
GuardUnited StatesPhiladelphia 76ers
CenterWashington Bullets
CenterUnited StatesMiami Heat
ForwardUnited StatesAtlanta Hawks
GuardUnited StatesOrlando Magic
Guard/ForwardUnited StatesIndiana Pacers
*Guard/ForwardUnited StatesOrlando Magic
Forward/CenterUnited StatesIndiana Pacers
GuardUnited StatesGolden State Warriors
ForwardUnited StatesPortland Trail Blazers
Guard/ForwardUnited StatesLos Angeles Clippers
ForwardPhoenix Suns
GuardUnited StatesGolden State Warriors
ForwardOrlando Magic
ForwardUnited StatesIndiana Pacers
GuardUnited StatesHouston Rockets
^Forward/CenterUnited StatesMinnesota Timberwolves
^ForwardUnited StatesOrlando Magic
^ForwardUnited StatesIndiana Pacers
^GuardPhoenix Suns
^Guard/ForwardUnited StatesChicago Bulls
^GuardUnited StatesPortland Trail Blazers
^ForwardMilwaukee Bucks
^GuardUnited StatesIndiana Pacers
^ForwardToronto Raptors