Bulls fans cry Coby White robbery after Tyrese Maxey's MIP win
24/04/2024 16:10
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey nabbed the NBA KIA Most Improved Player award, but not without its fair share of dissent from fans of the other frontrunners for the award, the Chicago Bulls guard Coby White.
In the regular season, Maxey received 51 first-place votes, 18 second-place votes, and 10 third-place votes en route to 319 total points to secure the trophy. He posted career-highs of 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game, jumping from 2022-23 per-game averages of 20.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.8 steals in the prior year.
The Bulls’ White came a close second with 305 total points, but only received 32 first-place votes and 43 second-place votes. In the 2023-24 regular season, White had 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 0.7 steals – an improvement over 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.7 steals a year ago.
In distant third was Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun, who received 82 total points. He had averages of 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, rising from year-ago averages of 14.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 0.9 steals.
The complete voting results for the 2023-24 Kia NBA Most Improved Player. pic.twitter.com/JzZ4GBsrnL
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 23, 2024
Among the top three contenders for the Most Improved Player trophy, Maxey’s 76ers is in the middle of their playoff series against the New York Knicks. The White-led Bulls were earlier bounced in the Play-In Tournament by the eventual eight-seed Miami Heat. Sengun, however, had to watch from the sidelines after falling to a season-ending leg injury in the middle of a heated race for a top 10 spot in the highly competitive Western Conference.
Coby White fans react to Most Improved Player award ‘robbery’
Fans came out in support of Coby White in reply to a post by NBA reporter Shams Charania on social media network X announcing the polarizing win by Maxey in the voting.
“They pronounced ‘Coby White’ wrong,” said one fan. Another said “Coby White deserved it, [not gonna lie],” while a third posed the selection of Maxey as possibly “the biggest robbery in NBA history.”
Coby White robbed pic.twitter.com/iNTgyQJdYM
— ɢօօֆɛ (@gooseislooser) April 23, 2024
Another subset of commenters batted for the Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun, with one saying “the correct choice was right there,” and another saying “Sengun [was] robbed so hard.”
The correct choice was right there smh pic.twitter.com/PEPzmUJzy7
— RocketsMuse (@RocketsMuse) April 23, 2024
Despite these comments, Sixers and Maxey fans alike defended the voters’ choice, saying it was “well deserved” and that “[Maxey is] gonna get even better.”
In response to receiving the award, Maxey said in an interview on NBA TV, “I’ve always been a guy that preaches work…Every single day, every single summer, I strive to be the best possible version of myself. For me to win this award is a testimony to the work that I put in.”
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