Houston’s James Harden. Photo from AP
James Harden of the Houston Rockets was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player during the 2018 NBA Awards on Tuesday morning, Philippine time.
He joined Michael Jordan as the only players to average at least 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds and 1.7 steals in a season.
Harden led the league in scoring, 3-pointers and 50-point games with four. He helped the Rockets to an NBA-leading 65 wins.
Harden beat out Cleveland’s LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Pelicans.
Here are the other individual winners for this year:
Dwane Casey (Toronto) – Coach of the Year
Ben Simmons (Philadelphia) – Rookie of the Year
Rudy Gobert (Utah) – Defensive Player of the Year
Lou Williams (LA Clippers) – Sixth man of the Year
Victor Oladipo (Indiana) – Most Improved Player