NBA Awards
Two years ago, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) came up with the idea to hold a formal awards ceremony celebrating members’ regular-season work. The premise: They whose performances are judged should do the judging themselves. Which was well and good, and, if nothing else, had history to lean on; up until 1981, those who plied the trade, and not those who wrote about it, got to vote for Most Valuable Player. And so the grand vision was made real, with the union getting Black Entertainment Television to broadcast the proceedings, held in, needless to say, glitzy Las Vegas.
There were just two problems, however. First, the festivities could not live up to promise, not with most players staying away from The Rio’s Penn & Teller Theater. And so disappointing was the turnout that the NBPA did away with the pomp and pageantry last year, instead opting to announce winners of awards categories via a series of videos on the Net; while well- made and produced by noted National Football League content provider ACE Media, the Twitter releases underscored the venture’s inability to meet expectations. Second, and more importantly, the National Basketball Association ( NBA) itself was slated to come up with a similar presentation as part of its blockbuster rights package with ESPN and Turner Sports. For what it’s worth, NBA Awards 2017 was a certified hit. From the opening skit featuring Will Ferrell to the deft, if sometimes awkwardly received, monologues of host Drake to the always-engrossing back and forth between Inside the NBA hosts Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson to the reactions of the awardees, yesterday’s formal affair proved that sports and entertainment do mix, and that, in the final analysis, sports is entertainment.
Granted, the show was far from perfect. The moments of selfindulgence could have been avoided, and because there were few surprises, the delay in the formal announcement of the winners carried an anti-climactic bent. Then again, it was, without doubt, engaging, trending on social media and eliciting interest long after the curtains closed. And, best of all, the players truly lent their support; rookies, reigning stars, and retired veterans alike were in Basketball City enjoying themselves. In short, the event was what its NBPA predecessor should have been. Was it necessary? No. Was it fun? Definitely.
For what it’s worth, NBA Awards 2017 was a certified hit. From the opening skit featuring Will Ferrell to the deft, if sometimes awkwardly received, monologues of host Drake to the always-engrossing back and forth between Inside the NBA hosts Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson to the reactions of the awardees, yesterday’s formal affair proved that sports and entertainment do mix, and that, in the final analysis, sports is entertainment.