Turner Sports will air a season-ending awards show that announces the MVP, Rookie of the Year and other key league honors as part of the NBA’s massive new TV deal beginning in 2016-17, the league announced. This arrangement mirrors the NFL and NHL, both of whom have introduced their own awards shows in recent years.
NBA to introduce awards show as part of new TV deal
The new awards show will be televised on TNT and will mirror similar arrangements in the NHL and NFL.
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
The exact date of the new awards show is unknown. Currently, the individual teams announce key awards during the first and second rounds of the NBA Playoffs. This sometimes causes awkward situations where an MVP may be forced to accept the award after his team has been eliminated from the playoffs. This most notably happened in 2007, when Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks were upset in the first round.
The NBA pushed for the inclusion of the awards show and was reportedly hoping to pair it by moving the NBA Draft back to early July, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zilgitt. It remains unclear whether the awards show will take place then or closer to the end of the regular season.
The host of the new show is unknown, but Kevin Hart seems like a safe bet. (We’d prefer the crew of The Starters with Charles Barkley and another guest like ... oh, I don’t know, Rasheed Wallace? Sure).
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