2016–17 NBA season
Award Recipient ( s ) Runner ( s ) -up/Finalists
Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook ( Oklahoma City Thunder ) James Harden ( Houston Rockets ) Kawhi Leonard ( San Antonio Spurs )
Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green ( Golden State Warriors ) Rudy Gobert ( Utah Jazz ) Kawhi Leonard ( San Antonio Spurs )
Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon ( Milwaukee Bucks ) Joel Embiid ( Philadelphia 76ers ) Dario Šarić ( Philadelphia 76ers )
Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon ( Houston Rockets ) Andre Iguodala ( Golden State Warriors ) Lou Williams ( Los Angeles Lakers/Houston Rockets )
Most Improved Player Giannis Antetokounmpo ( Milwaukee Bucks ) Rudy Gobert ( Utah Jazz ) Nikola Jokić ( Denver Nuggets )
Coach of the Year Mike D'Antoni ( Houston Rockets ) Gregg Popovich ( San Antonio Spurs ) Erik Spoelstra ( Miami Heat )
Executive of the Year Bob Myers ( Golden State Warriors )
NBA Sportsmanship Award Kemba Walker ( Charlotte Hornets )
J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award LeBron James ( Cleveland Cavaliers )
Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award Dirk Nowitzki ( Dallas Mavericks )
Community Assist Award Isaiah Thomas ( Boston Celtics )
Awards -- Yearly awards
Main article : 2017 NBA Awards Awards were presented at the NBA Awards ceremony , which were held on June 26 . Finalists for voted awards were announced during the playoffs and winners were presented at the award ceremony . The All-NBA Teams were announced in advance in order for teams to have all the necessary information to make off-season preparations .
The 2016-17 NBA season was the 71st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 25, 2016, with the 2016 NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers hosting a game against the New York Knicks. The 2017 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 19, 2017, with the West defeating the East 192-182. Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans was named the All Star Game MVP after breaking Wilt Chamberlain's record by scoring 52 points in the All Star Game. The original host of the game, Charlotte's Spectrum Center, was removed as the host on July 21, 2016 due to the league's opposition against North Carolina's Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act. The regular season ended on April 12, 2017, and the playoffs began on April 15, 2017 and ended on June 12, 2017, with the Golden State Warriors going 16-1 in the playoffs and beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games during their third consecutive matchup in the NBA Finals.