NBL25 Award Finalists revealed

Sunday, February 9, 2025

The winners will be announced tomorrow night at the Andrew Gaze MVP Awards night.

Bryce Cotton, Kendric Davis and Matt Hurt have been named as finalists for the NBL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, presented by Hungry Jack’s.

Cotton has had another sensational season, averaging a career-high 28.6 points per game. He scored 40+ points six times this season, the first player to do so since Andrew Gaze in 1993. Cotton will be aiming to win his second consecutive MVP and the fifth of his amazing career.

Davis took the NBL by storm in his debut season, becoming one of the most electrifying point guards in the competition. He amassed 25.6 points and 8.0 assists per game and will look to become the third Adelaide 36er to win the MVP award.

A scoring machine, Matt Hurt played a key role in lifting the South East Melbourne Phoenix back to the Finals this season. The 24-year-old posted 20.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and proved to be a constant headache for defenders trying to stop him.

The Andrew Gaze MVP Awards Night will take place tomorrow night at CENTREPIECE in Melbourne. It will be broadcast on Kayo and the NBL website from 7:30pm AEDT.

Other finalists are:

Lindsay Gaze Coach of the Year
Dean Vickerman (Melbourne United)
Justin Tatum (Illawarra Hawks)
Josh King (South East Melbourne Phoenix)

Most Improved Player presented by AAMI
Ben Henshall (Perth Wildcats)
Owen Foxwell (South East Melbourne Phoenix)
Tyrell Harrison (Brisbane Bullets)

Best Sixth Man
Ian Clark (Melbourne United)
Kouat Noi (Sydney Kings)
Will Hickey (Illawarra Hawks)

Damian Martin Trophy for the Best Defensive Player
Shea Ili (Melbourne United)
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (Illawarra Hawks)
Will Magnay (Tasmania JackJumpers)

Next Generation Award presented by Champion
Alex Toohey (Sydney Kings)
Ben Henshall (Perth Wildcats)
Taran Armstrong (Cairns Taipans)

The All-NBL First Team, All-NBL Second Team, Executive of the Year, Referee of the Year presented by Europcar, Gametime by Kmart Award, Fans’ MVP presented by Chemist Warehouse and the Three Pointer of the Year presented by Mitsubishi Motors Australia will also be announced tomorrow night.

The Andrew Gaze MVP Awards Night will take place tomorrow night at CENTREPIECE in Melbourne. It will be broadcast on Kayo and the NBL website from 7:30pm AEDT.