The NBA’s decision to switch to a televised awards ceremony in 2017 was simultaneously one of the league’s best and worst decisions.
In one sense, gathering the league’s best and brightest stats in late June serves as the perfect night cap for another season of groundbreaking moments. Seeing the NBA on TNT crew rip on each other or Bill Russell give a cheeky grin and flip off Charles Barkley, embodies the close-knit, wildly competitive nature of professional basketball.
However, the ceremony is also pegged by the same award show apathy and full scale awkwardness, that has led to a number of award-giving bodies to retool their yearly pageants.