Every Club's MVP Winner

With the Finals well underway and the Gazeys done and dusted, teams are beginning to name and honour the top contributors to their club's season with their own MVP awards.

NBL Media keeps you in the loop with the award winners as they're announced.

The shelves of Antonius Cleveland’s trophy case must be beginning to groan. After earning back-to-back Damian Martin Defensive Player of the Year honours, he’s marked the culmination of his first season in Adelaide by winning the club’s MVP award.

Named after three-time champion and 1987 NBL MVP Mark Davis, Cleveland earned the honour alongside the Defensive Player of the Year and Fans MVP honours to almost sweep the club’s awards night.

After arriving on the NBL scene as a member of the Illawarra Hawks in NBL22, Cleveland took his trademark defensive nous across to Adelaide this season, and while his defence was still the most integral part of his game it was his offence that stood out this season.

He averaged 15.8 points per game on 48.7 per cent shooting along with 2.8 assists – all marked increases from his first season in the competition.

Anthony Drmic took home the Coaches Award, while Nick Marshall was named as Most Improved.

The strong individual campaign of Boomer Nathan Sobey has been capped off by winning the Brisbane Bullets’ MVP award – named after three-time champion and three-time NBL MVP Leroy Loggins.

Sobey returned to the court in NBL23 following an extensive stint on the sidelines following a knee injury suffered the season prior – where he only played 12 games for an ailing Bullets.

He rebounded to play all 28 games for the side this season and, after a justifiably rusty start in the first few games, returned to the level of form that saw him named as an Andrew Gaze MVP finalist in NBL21.

He averaged 15.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game across the season.

Import guard Tyler Johnson took home the Fans' Player and Player’s Player of the Year, Aron Baynes won Defensive Player of the Year and Matt Johns won Youth Player of the Year.

The team effort required to pull the Cairns Taipans from ninth to a Playoff appearance was recognised on their club awards nights, as the major honours were shared among the roster.

DJ Hogg took out the MVP award for his performances on both ends of the floor. While putting up a team-best 18.1 points per game this season, Hogg also pulled down 5.6 boards, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks across the season.

Hogg also took home the Members' MVP.

Shannon Scott was named as Player's Player of the Year, Tahjere McCall was named as Defensive Player of the Year, and Ben Ayre took home the Coaches Award in his first season as a fully contracted player.

The performances of co-captain and NBL Next Generation Award nominee Sam Froling was a bright spark in a difficult season for the Illawarra Hawks, and the 23-year-old Boomers centre once again lifted his game to take home the club’s MVP award.

Froling – who also won the NBL’s Most Improved Player Award in NBL21 – averaged a career-high 14 points per game at 49.7 per cent from the field, along with 1.6 assists and 6.8 rebounds per contest.

Akoldah Gak took home Player’s Player of the Year, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk won Defensive Player of the Year, and Tyler Harvey was named the Members' Choice Award winner.

400 games played, 1000 threes hit, and still the MVP of his team. The more things change, the more they stay the same for Chris Goulding.

After finishing the season with the most made threes of anyone in the competition, the three-time NBL champion added a third All-NBL Second Team nomination to his resume.

He missed just one game during the season, and posted his best scoring numbers since NBL20. He ended the season averaging 17/1 points per game on 42.9 per cent shooting, 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Mid-season signing Marcus Lee took home the club’s Defensive Player of the Year honours while Callum Dalton took out the SHARE Award for exemplifying United's values on the court and in practice.

Jarrell Brantley claimed the Breakers' MVP at the team's award night on Tuesday, February 28.

Brantley was a standout in his first season in the NBL, averaging 16.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals a game.

Teammate Dererk Pardon claimed the Defensive Player of the Year for New Zealand. while Barry Brown was the winner of the Members' Choice Award. 

For the fifth time in his seven seasons with the club, superstar Bryce Cotton has been awarded the Gordon Ellis Medal for Perth Wildcats Most Valuable Player at the club’s annual MVP Ball.

Cotton had an outstanding 2022/23 season, achieving career-highs in regular season points, rebounds, assists and steals. He managed seven 30+ point games and was named Scoring Champion for the fifth-straight season.

The three-time NBL MVP was a dominant force in the league, averaging 23.4 points per game in his second highest scoring regular season of his seven in the competition, draining 80 three-pointers in the process.

Mitch Creek took home the ultimate honours for the Phoenix, following another outstanding individual season.

Creek boasted averages of 23.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists across NBL23 to claim South East Melbourne's most coveted award.

"A club MVP is pretty cool; I know since I've been here, it's been a few years in a row now, but I think I am just excited for where this club has grown from and where it is now," he said. 

"I think we are getting better every year, I think the league is getting better every year, and I think we are staying with it. I feel like this is very nice, but at the end of the day, it is an individual award, and I am here for team success.

"I'll put a lot of time and effort into watching a lot of the games, looking where I could improve, areas we can improve as a team. I'll take the individual season and build on that, clean up the gap between my best and worst and try to shorten that even more and hopefully a bigger and better season next year."

Xavier Cooks has doubled up on MVP awards this season. After claiming the Andrew Gaze MVP trophy as the best player in the NBL, he has now added the Kings' MVP trophy to his cabinet.

His season averages of over 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists helped Cooks just about sweep every award possible during Sydney's celebration of it's season. He also took home the Members Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards.

Former NBL Defensive Player of the Year Justin Simon marked his return to the competition by winning Sydney's DPOY honours. Import centre Tim Soares took home the Coaches Award, while former Cairns Taipan Kouat Noi was awarded the Hard Work Award for his efforts both on an off the court. 

Star import Milton Doyle has been awarded the Tasmania JackJumpers 2022/23 Most Valuable Player.

The award is the latest in a string of accolades for the smooth-moving Shooting Guard, who earlier this month became the first JackJumpers Player to be named in the All-NBL First Team.

Doyle boasted averages of 17.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists throughout NBL23. 

Development Player Isaac White was voted by his peers to receive the ‘Players Award’, after joining the club as an injury replacement player and fully embracing the club’s values,basketball program and community.

‘Defensive Player of the Year’ was awarded to Will Magnay, who returned to his best after a 10-month battle with a knee injury, while the ‘Coaches Award’ was awarded to Development Player Sean Macdonald who was also a finalist in the NBL’s Most Improved Awards with a breakout NBL23 campaign.

Jack McVeigh was voted as the ‘Fan Favourite’ by the Ant Army via an online poll.