In a statement released on Tuesday, National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts announced that the players would vote on their own set of end-of-season awards, the winners of which will be announced in July when the union meets in Las Vegas. From the NBPA:
The players union is facilitating a peer-recognition awards program over the next several months, at the request of the players.
Fans and coaches choose the all-stars. Media votes on League awards. Our members want to recognize outstanding performance of their peers too. Players have not voted on awards since 1980.
This idea was conceived and conceptualized by the players themselves. The 10 categories were identified by the players in conversation and exchanges with the staff after the All-Star break. The exact nomenclature for each award and the program are still being defined.
To ensure every player's vote is included, the union staff is managing the balloting process before the end of the regular season.
A committee of Legends recommended some candidates in eight of the ten categories from the pool of all active players in the 2014-15 season. Players also have the option to write in a name for these eight categories.
The MVP is an open-ended question—everyone will be writing in his vote. The Man of the Year, which recognizes contributions in the community and service to others, will be selected with input from the NBPA Foundation and the Executive Committee.
It was earlier reported, first by USA Today's Sam Amick, that this would be called the Players Choice Awards. No name was given in Roberts' statement. Also, it is interesting that it says "every active player from 2014-15 will be voting via paper ballot" in the statement. Can players decline to vote for certain categories, or abstain from voting at all? Washington Wizards guard John Wall has already said that he doesn't plan to take part.
There is still no word on what the specific awards will be, outside of MVP and Man of the Year, or what the presentation will look like. I'd like to see Best Teammate and Worst Flopper, but that's just me.
