The official home of NBA.com in 11 international markets, The Sporting News is honored to usher in a new era of NBA awards in 2023 that represents not only our unique global audience and perspective, but the makeup of the league itself.
All 30 teams featured at least one international player this past season with 120 international players from 41 countries and six continents on opening night rosters. It's the first time in NBA history that at least 120 international players appeared on rosters in back-to-back seasons.
This season's awards were voted on by 67 international media members representing 19 countries. Voting started on April 10, the day after the regular season, with ballots closing prior to the first playoff games on April 15. For ranked choice awards, 1st-place votes received five points, 2nd-place votes received three points and 3rd-place votes received one point. Voters were asked to select their picks for the following (click on each to skip down to the winner):
- Most Valuable Player
- All-International First and Second Team
- Best Young Player
- Defensive Player of the Year
- Rookie of the Year
- Coach of the Year
The Sporting News MVP debuted way back in 1958-59 with Bob Pettit taking home the first-ever iteration, beating out the likes of Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor and Bob Cousy. As SN evolved from a print publication to a global digital brand, so too have our awards. Without further ado, here are the results!
Most Valuable Player
Winner: Joel Embiid
In an incredibly tight race, Joel Embiid edged Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo with just three first-place votes being the margin between first and third.
Embiid won a second consecutive scoring title, averaging 33.1 points per game to go along with 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steals. His three 50-point games led the NBA as Embiid became just the third center ever with three in a single season, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Jokic — the reigning back-to-back NBA MVP and last year's Sporting News Player of the Year — nearly averaged a triple-double (24.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 9.8 APG) while leading the Nuggets to the best record in the Western Conference. With Jokic on the floor, the Nuggets were an astonishing 22.9 points per 100 possessions better than with him on the bench.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the NBA's best record while actually averaging more points per minute than Embiid. In fact, the only two players in NBA history to score more points per 36 minutes than Antetokounmpo did this season are Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden.
Here are the full voting results.
| Player | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | Points |
| 1. Joel Embiid | 24 | 28 | 12 | 216 |
| 2. Nikola Jokic | 22 | 19 | 23 | 190 |
| 3. Giannis Antetokounmpo | 21 | 17 | 26 | 182 |
| 4. Jayson Tatum | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 5. Stephen Curry | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 6. Domantas Sabonis | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 7. Luka Doncic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
All-International Teams
33 players were included on this year's All-International Team ballot with a required minimum of 50 games played. Voters were then asked to select five members for the First Team and Second Team.
With a historic influx of international talent, it seems only right to honor the best of the best from outside the United States. The three MVP finalists from each of the last two seasons were born outside the U.S. with Embiid joining Jokic and Antetokounmpo to make it five straight seasons with a foreign-born MVP.
For the ninth consecutive year, Canada was the most-represented country outside of the U.S., followed by Australia, France (nine players) and Germany (six players). Nigeria, Serbia and Spain each have five players. The Raptors — with a pair of All-International selections — opened the season with eight international players, their second straight season leading all teams.
First Team
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
- Luka Doncic, Mavericks
- Joel Embiid, 76ers
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Second-Team
- OG Anunoby, Raptors
- Josh Giddey, Thunder
- Lauri Markkanen, Jazz
- Domantas Sabonis, Kings
- Pascal Siakam, Raptors
Best Young Player (23 or Younger)
Winner: Luka Doncic
The NBA is brimming with young talent that extends far beyond just the rookie class. Just as the FIFA World Cup hands out the prestigious FIFA Young Player Award, SN extended an opportunity for our international voters to single out the best young player.
To be eligible, players had to be 23 or younger on February 1 of this season and play in a minimum of 50 games. The 10 finalists as picked by SN's global team of writers (in alphabetical order): Paolo Banchero, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Darius Garland, Josh Giddey, Tyrese Haliburton, Jaren Jackson Jr., Tyrese Maxey, Evan Mobley and Ja Morant.
Doncic ran away in a landslide, receiving 54 of the 67 first-place votes. Although the Mavericks did not make the playoffs, Doncic delivered a historic season, averaging 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. Without a doubt, the highlight of his season came back on December 27 when Doncic uncorked a masterpiece in a win over the Knicks — 60 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists and a miraculous shot off his own missed free throw to force overtime.
Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards finished second and third, respectively. Morant (6), Edwards (4), Haliburton (1), Maxey (1) and Banchero (1) each received first-place votes. All 10 finalists appeared on at least four ballots.
Defensive Player of the Year
Winner: Jaren Jackson Jr.
There wasn't much consensus around Defensive Player of the Year.
Though Jaren Jackson Jr. took home first place with 32 of the 67 first-place votes, he was the only winner not to receive at least half of the first-place votes. In all, a whopping nine of the 10 finalists received a first-place vote led by Brook Lopez (17).
In the end, JJJ's historic block rate was enough to earn top honors despite playing far fewer minutes than the likes of Lopez, Evan Mobley or Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Here are the full voting results.
| Player | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | Points |
| 1. Jaren Jackson Jr. | 32 | 22 | 5 | 231 |
| 2. Brook Lopez | 17 | 20 | 14 | 159 |
| 3. Evan Mobley | 2 | 9 | 15 | 52 |
| 4. Giannis Antetokounmpo | 5 | 6 | 5 | 48 |
| 5. Jrue Holiday | 3 | 2 | 8 | 29 |
| 6. Bam Adebayo | 2 | 5 | 4 | 22 |
| 7. OG Anunoby | 3 | 1 | 4 | 22 |
| 8. Draymond Green | 2 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| 9. Anthony Davis | 1 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| 10. Rudy Gobert | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
MORE: The stats behind JJJ's Defensive Player of the Year
Rookie of the Year
Winner: Paolo Banchero
Banchero took home SN's Rookie of the Year after leading the Magic with 20.0 points per game. He showed he belonged right from the jump with a full offensive repertoire usually not seen in 20-year-old rookies. Banchero became just the sixth player in NBA history to score at least 20 points in each of his first six games, joining Hall of Famers Grant Hill, Dominique Wilkins, Elvin Hayes, Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain.
Jalen Williams and Walker Kessler finished second and third, respectively.
Coach of the Year
Winner: Mike Brown
Brown revitalized the Sacramento Kings, ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history and pushing the defending champion Warriors to the brink with an epic seven-game series.
The Kings won 48 games, their most since 2004-05, and received All-NBA caliber seasons from both De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Under Brown's tutelage, the high-flying Kings became NBA League Pass darlings, finishing with one of the most electric and fast-paced offenses in the league.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla finished second, followed by Nuggets' coach Michael Malone.
