Turner and the NBA today announced on Tuesday that Mr. Everything himself — Drake — will be hosting the first-ever NBA Awards on TNT.
The event will be held at Basketball City at Pier 36 in NYC and will be the NBAs official annual award show to honor all of the leagues top performers on one night for the first time.
Drake, whose recently released playlist, More For Life, set records for the “Best First Day for an Album.” with 90 million global streams, tweeted out the announcement in style.
Hosting first-ever NBA Awards on TNT, June 26th – tune in. pic.twitter.com/oGnXALihkq
Drizzy (@Drake) April 25, 2017
As social media and instant access continues to drive the sports journalism landscape, the NBA has decided to make an event out of its postseason awards, which used to be announced in the middle of the playoffs and to very little fanfare because the focus was on those championship-caliber teams fighting for a greater importance.
Bringing the platinum-selling recording artist and multi-dimensional entertainer into the fold clearly shows the NBAs intentions from a marketing perspective. In the process, the league finds another way to prolong the season and capitalize on fans who are still NBA-drunk about the Finals.
The NBA Awards presented during the show will include:
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Kia NBA Most Valuable Player
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Kia NBA Rookie of the Year
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Kia NBA Sixth Man Award
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Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year
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Kia NBA Most Improved Player
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NBA Coach of the Year
Additional award categories will include fan-voted awards with categories and finalists announced this Thursday, April 27, during TNTs Inside the NBA.
The NBA Awards, which airs on June 26 at 9pm EST on TNT, will integrate the Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA studio team of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille ONeal, along with some of the NBAs supreme ballers and celebrity contributions from the world of music and entertainment.
Drake has hosted Saturday Night Live, so Im sure the ex-Degrassi High star will handle the NBA Awards show without a problem.
