| National Basketball Associationawards and honors |
|---|
| Team awards |
| Individual awards |
| Honors |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Awarded for | Player with greatest improvement in playing ability in regular season of theNational Basketball Association |
| History | |
| First award | 1985–86 |
| Most recent | Dyson Daniels Atlanta Hawks |
TheNBA's Most Improved Player (MIP) is an annualNational Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. 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] The criteria for selecting the most improved player was initially open-ended, but the NBA clarified in later years that it was intended for an up-and-coming player who improved dramatically and not a player who made a comeback, distinguishing it from the defunctNBA Comeback Player of the Year Award.[2][3] Since the2022–23 NBA season, winners receive theGeorge Mikan Trophy, named after the five-time NBA champion.
As part of efforts to reduceload management for star players in the league, effective with the2023–24 season, when a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league andits players' union took effect, players must appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for most major regular-season awards, including Most Improved Player. To receive credit for a game for purposes of award eligibility, a player must have been credited with at least 20 minutes played. However, two "near misses", in which the player appeared for 15 to 19 minutes, can be included in the 65-game count. Protections also exist for players who suffer season-ending injuries, who are eligible with 62 credited games, and those affected by what the CBA calls "bad faith circumstances".[4][5]
Since its inception, the award has been given to 37 players. No player has ever won the award twice.Boris Diaw,Kevin Love,Pascal Siakam, andGiannis Antetokounmpo are the only award winners to win anNBA Championship, Siakam is the only winner to win a championship in the same season as the award, and Antetokounmpo is the only winner to winNBA Finals MVP.Rony Seikaly,[a]Gheorghe Mureșan,Boris Diaw,Hedo Türkoğlu,Goran Dragić,Giannis Antetokounmpo,Pascal Siakam,Lauri Markkanen, andDyson Daniels are the only award winners born outside the United States.
Alvin Robertson,Dana Barros,Tracy McGrady,Jermaine O'Neal,Danny Granger,Kevin Love,Paul George,Jimmy Butler,Giannis Antetokounmpo,Victor Oladipo,Brandon Ingram,Julius Randle,Ja Morant,Lauri Markkanen, andTyrese Maxey have won the award and been selected as anNBA All-Star in the same season;Dale Ellis,Kevin Duckworth,Kevin Johnson,Gilbert Arenas,Zach Randolph,Goran Dragic, andPascal Siakam were the other winners who were selected in a later season to play in the All-Star Game. Only McGrady, O'Neal, George, Dragić, Antetokounmpo, Oladipo, Randle and Morant won the award and were named to theAll-NBA Team in the same season. Pascal Siakam made the All-NBA Second Team the year after he won the award. TheIndiana Pacers andOrlando Magic have each seen five players win the award, the most in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first recipient of the award to later become anNBA MVP. Tracy McGrady is the only recipient to win a scoring title as well as being the first recipient of the award to be named to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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| ^ | Denotes player who is still active in the NBA |
| * | Elected to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| † | Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration[a] |
| § | 1st time eligible for Hall of Fame in 2026[6] |
| Team (#) | Denotes the number of times a player from this team has won |
