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Houston Rockets leader James Harden won first prize for best player of his career at the NBA awards ceremony in Santa Monica, California.
Harden beat four-time MVP LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans for the honor, which he had finished a finalist for last season at the Oklahoma's Russell Westbrook City Thunder and in 2015 at Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry.
Harden is the third player in the history of the Rockets to be named MVP, joining Moses Malone, who has won twice (1979, 1982) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994).
Harden was accompanied by his mother, Monja Willis, accepting the NBA Commissioner's Award, Adam Silver.
"I'm not emotional, I do not do all that, but she's my spine," Harden said. "Good times, bad times … We only have one life and I am happy that she is my mother, I would not have it otherwise, for real.
Harden, 28, dominated the league last season while averaging 30.4 points per game. He added 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game by leading the Rockets to first place in the Western Conference playoffs, where they fell to potential Warriors champions in Game 7 of the conference finale.
"Sixth man of the year at MVP," said Harden, who claimed the honor in 2012 as a member of the Thunder. "Shout to all the young man who had a dream and vision to go take it, will chase that dream, I'll see you all next year."
– Philadelphia 76ers driver Ben Simmons was named Rookie of the Year in the NBA after the former # 1 selection helped the team break his five-year playoff season.
Simmons beat Donovan Mitchell of Utah Jazz and Jayson Tatum of Boston Celtics.
"I would like to thank my family, for starters," said Simmons. "My family, my friends, you know I would not be here without them, and my teammates of course and my great coach (Brett Brown), and the city of Philadelphia for really kissing me."
Simmons was caught with the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft, but a broken foot dismissed him for the 2016-17 season.
The 6-foot-10 guard has averaged 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 interceptions in 81 games last season.
Simmons, who turns 22 next month, helped the 76ers qualify for the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they lost to the Celtics in a five-game series. He averaged 16.3 points, 9.4 boards, 7.7 assists and 1.7 interceptions in the playoffs.
– Player Protector Victor Oladipo is the most improved player in the NBA after a spectacular first season in Indiana that ended with a confrontation with LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
Oladipo beat the other finalists Clint Capela of Rockets and Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets.
"Shout at the Pacers organization to believe in me," said Oladipo, who was handed over to Indiana last offseason in the deal that sent Paul George to the Thunder. "It's only the beginning for us."
Oladipo, 26, has accumulated 23.1 points in career with 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 interceptions to earn his first All-Star career selection, as well as a place in the third All-NBA team and the first All-Defensive team.
In the playoffs, Oladipo averaged 22.7 points, 8.3 boards, 6.0 assists and 2.4 steals, but that was not enough to send the Pacers to the semifinals of the conference since they lost to the Cavaliers in seven games.
–Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, beating Anthony Davis of the Pelicans and Joel Embiid of the 76ers.
Gobert, who turned 26 on Tuesday, missed 26 regular-season games with several injuries, but still anchored a Jazz defense that posted the second highest defensive rating (101.6) in the NBA last season.
The Frenchman averaged 13.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 56 games to secure his second All-Defensive All-Defensive selection of the first team. Gobert led the league in blocks in 2016-17 with 2.6 per game.
– Los Angeles Clippers goalie Lou Williams is now a two-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner after being named the league's best player for the 2017-18 season.
Williams, who also won the trophy with the Toronto Raptors in 2014-15, averaged 22.6 points and 5.3 assists, as well as 1.1 interceptions in 79 games (19 starts) last season with the Clippers.
"I want to thank the Clippers organization for giving me the opportunity to be myself," Williams said.
He beat finalists Eric Gordon of the Rockets and Fred VanVleet of the Raptors. Gordon won the award last season.
–Dwane Casey earned the honors of the coach of the year after guiding the Raptors to a first place in the Eastern Conference.
Casey beat Celtics coach Brad Stevens and Jazz coach Quin Snyder for the honor.
Under Casey's leadership, the Raptors have won a franchise record of 59 games against 23 losses to win first place in the East. However, Casey was fired after the Raptors' second consecutive loss in second consecutive round to LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Casey was hired as the new coach of the Detroit Pistons, replacing Stan Van Gundy.
Casey also coached the Eastern Conference in this year's All-Star Game.
–Daryl Morey of the Rockets won the NBA 's Executive of the Year Award after forming a team that finished first in the Western Conference.
Under the direction of Morey, the Rockets acquired Chris Paul, Clippers star goalie, to team up with James Harden and the great man Clint Capela. Houston set a new franchise record for wins with 65 versus just 17 losses.
–Oscar Robertson has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the NBA in 2018.
Before Thunder's star Russell Westbrook had a triple-double in the past two seasons, Robertson was the most recent player to triple-double – in 1961-62.
A former NBA MVP and 12-time star, Robertson averaged 25.7 points, 9.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds over 14 NBA seasons between the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Other winners of the evening include Minnesota Timberwolves' Jamal Crawford (teammate of the year), Kevin Durant (Community Support Award) from Golden State and Kemba Walker (Sports Award) from Charlotte Hornets.
–Field Level Media
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