Houston Rockets guard James Harden, center, reacts after he was fouled by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA basketball Western Conference Finals, Monday, May 14, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
NEW YORK — Houston’s James Harden, Cleveland’s LeBron James and Anthony Davis of New Orleans are the finalists for the NBA’s MVP award.
Harden, who led the league in scoring, has twice been a runner-up for the award, including last year when Russell Westbrook won. James has won the MVP award four times.
The three finalists for the individual awards were announced Wednesday. The winners will be announced on June 25 in Santa Monica, California during the NBA Awards show.
Davis was also a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, along with Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Philadelphia center Joel Embiid.
The other finalists:
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Donovan Mitchell, Utah
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia
Jayson Tatum, Boston
COACH OF THE YEAR
Dwane Casey, Toronto
Quin Snyder, Utah
Brad Stevens, Boston
SIXTH MAN
Eric Gordon, Houston
Fred VanVleet, Toronto
Lou Williams, Clippers
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Clint Capela, Houston
Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn
Victor Oladipo, Indiana