NBA Most Improved Player Award

Tracy McGrady (right) won the award in the 2000–01 NBA season.

Hedo Türkoğlu won the award in the 2007–08 NBA season.

The National Basketball Association's Most Improved Player Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1985–86 NBA season, to the most improved player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points; and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.^[1]

Since its inception, the award has been given to 25 different players. The most recent award winner was Kevin Love. None of the award winners have won an NBA Championship until 2011 when Darrell Armstrong won the title as an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks. Hedo Türkoğlu, Rony Seikaly,^[a] Gheorghe Mureşan and Boris Diaw are the only award winners not born in the United States; all but Seikaly were also trained completely outside the U.S. (Seikaly played college basketball at Syracuse).

Only Alvin Robertson, Dana Barros, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O'Neal, Danny Granger and Kevin Love won the award and selected as an NBA All-Star in the same season; Dale Ellis, Kevin Duckworth, Kevin Johnson, Gilbert Arenas and Zach Randolph were the other winners who were later selected to play in the All-Stars Game.

Winners

*	Denotes player who is still active in the NBA

Season	Player	Position	Nationality	Team
1985–86	Robertson, AlvinAlvin Robertson	Guard	United States	San Antonio Spurs
1986–87	Ellis, DaleDale Ellis	Guard/Forward	United States	Seattle SuperSonics
1987–88	Duckworth, KevinKevin Duckworth	Center	United States	Portland Trail Blazers
1988–89	Johnson, KevinKevin Johnson	Guard	United States	Phoenix Suns
1989–90	Seikaly, RonyRony Seikaly[a]	Center	United States	Miami Heat
1990–91	Skiles, ScottScott Skiles	Guard	United States	Orlando Magic
1991–92	Ellison, PervisPervis Ellison	Center/Forward	United States	Washington Bullets
1992–93	Jackson, ChrisChris Jackson	Guard	United States	Denver Nuggets
1993–94	MacLean, DonDon MacLean	Forward	United States	Washington Bullets
1994–95	Barros, DanaDana Barros	Guard	United States	Philadelphia 76ers
1995–96	Mureşan, GheorgheGheorghe Mureşan	Center	Romania	Washington Bullets
1996–97	Austin, IsaacIsaac Austin	Center	United States	Miami Heat
1997–98	Henderson, AlanAlan Henderson	Forward	United States	Atlanta Hawks
1998–99	Armstrong, DarrellDarrell Armstrong	Guard	United States	Orlando Magic
1999–00	Rose, JalenJalen Rose	Guard/Forward	United States	Indiana Pacers
2000–01	McGrady, TracyTracy McGrady*	Guard/Forward	United States	Orlando Magic
2001–02	O'Neal, JermaineJermaine O'Neal*	Forward/Center	United States	Indiana Pacers
2002–03	Arenas, GilbertGilbert Arenas*	Guard	United States	Golden State Warriors
2003–04	Randolph, ZachZach Randolph*	Forward	United States	Portland Trail Blazers
2004–05	Simmons, BobbyBobby Simmons	Guard/Forward	United States	Los Angeles Clippers
2005–06	Diaw, BorisBoris Diaw*	Forward	France	Phoenix Suns
2006–07	Ellis, MontaMonta Ellis*	Guard	United States	Golden State Warriors
2007–08	Türkoğlu, HedoHedo Türkoğlu*	Forward	Turkey	Orlando Magic
2008–09	Granger, DannyDanny Granger*	Forward	United States	Indiana Pacers
2009–10	Brooks, AaronAaron Brooks*	Guard	United States	Houston Rockets
2010–11	Love, KevinKevin Love*	Forward	United States	Minnesota Timberwolves

Notes

• ^a Rony Seikaly was born in Lebanon with dual citizenship in that country and the United States.^[2][3] He represented the United States at the 1986 FIBA World Championship.^[4]

See also

• NBA Development League Most Improved Player Award

References

General

• "Most Improved Player". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. http://www.nba.com/history/awards_mostimproved.html. Retrieved June 2, 2008. 
• "Most Improved Player Award Winners". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/mip.html. Retrieved July 10, 2008. 

Specific

1. ^ "Golden State’s Ellis Wins 2006-07 NBA Most Improved Player Award". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 26, 2007. http://www.nba.com/news/ellis_mostimproved_070426.html. Retrieved July 9, 2008. 
2. ^ "Rony Seikaly". basketball-reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/seikaro01.html. Retrieved November 18, 2008. 
3. ^ "Rony Seikaly" (in Spanish). Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto. http://www.acb.com/jugador.php?id=A5Z. Retrieved November 18, 2008. 
4. ^ "All-Time USA Basketball Men's Roster: S". USA Basketball. http://www.usabasketball.com/news.php?news_page=men_alpha_S. Retrieved November 18, 2008.