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The National Basketball Players Association announced out its Players Voice Awards winners today via social media, with the Spurs recipients of three of the 14 awards. You can see the full list of winners on their site, but here are the shout-outs to Tim, Pop and Kawhi, respectively.
Most Influential Veteran:
The legacy he will leave on the game is immeasurable. Most Influential Veteran goes to Tim Duncan. #PlayersVoicehttps://t.co/7E9mWNVQVS
— NBPA (@TheNBPA) August 4, 2016
Coach You'd Most Like to Play For:
The players’ coach. Coach You’d Most Like to Play For goes to Gregg Popovich. #PlayersVoicehttps://t.co/ACUG4hlrDa
— NBPA (@TheNBPA) August 4, 2016
Best Defender:
Nothing easy. Best Defender goes to @KawhiLeonard. #PlayersVoicehttps://t.co/2arIdS9e9y
— NBPA (@TheNBPA) August 4, 2016
This is the second year the NBPA has asked players to vote on categories like Best Player and Best Defender, a counter to the official awards that are selected annually by members of the media. James Harden notably won the former last summer, edging regular-season MVP Stephen Curry, while Leonard wasn't even a top-four finalist for Best Defender (DeAndre Jordan won). A case could be made that the Spurs were snubbed this year in the 'Best Home Court Advantage' category, but three out of 14 ain't bad.
Last year's awards were presented at an event held in Las Vegas, but the NBPA decided to simply make this year's announcements on social media. While that may not be the best way to get the message across to some members of the Spurs organization, it's hard to say whether they would have made the show anyway. Either way, congratulations to Tim, Pop and Kawhi, and all of this year's winners.