Cavaliers’ LeBron James, Rockets’ James Harden
named Kia NBA Players of the Month
NEW YORK – The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and the Houston Rockets’ James Harden
today were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month,
respectively, for games played in April.
James, who captured his third consecutive monthly honor, led the Eastern Conference in scoring (28.8 ppg)
while shooting 65.6 percent from the field (second in the East), including a conference-best 56.3 percent
(9-for-16) from three-point range. He added 8.4 rebounds and 7.8 assists (third in the East) in a
conference-high 36.9 minutes. James scored at least 30 points in three of his five games,
including a 34-point performance against the Hawks on April 11, when the Cavs clinched the
top seed in the East playoffs with a 109-94 victory. He also grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds in
a 110-108 overtime win over the Hawks on April 1.
Harden led the NBA in scoring (34.8 ppg) as the Rockets closed the season 4-2 to secure the final
playoff spot in the West. He shot 49.3 percent from the field and ranked fifth in the West in
three-point shooting at 51.7 percent (30-for-58). Harden also ranked fifth in the conference in
assists (7.2 apg) and second in minutes (38.9 mpg). He scored at least 30 points in five of six games
and hit the 40-point mark twice. On April 13, he scored 38 points as the Rockets clinched a playoff berth
by defeating the Sacramento Kings 116-81.
Here is a closer look at April for James and Harden:
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
April 1 @ Atlanta: Finished with 29 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists in a 110-108 overtime win
over the Hawks.
April 3 vs. Charlotte: Scored 31 points and added 12 assists and eight rebounds in a 112-103 win
over the Hornets.
April 11 vs. Atlanta: Tallied 34 points on 13-for-16 shooting to go with six rebounds and six assists in
a 109-94 win over the Hawks.
James Harden, Houston Rockets
April 3 vs. Oklahoma City: Finished with 41 points, nine assists and four rebounds in a 118-110
win over the Thunder.
April 10 vs. L.A. Lakers: Scored 40 points and added 13 assists, four rebounds and four steals in
a 130-110 win over the Lakers.
April 11 @ Minnesota: Recorded 34 points and six assists in a 129-105 victory over the Timberwolves.
Other nominees for the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month
Boston’s Isaiah Thomas, Charlotte’s Kemba Walker, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Indiana’s Paul George,
the Los Angeles Clippers’ Jamal Crawford, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, Phoenix’s Mirza Teletovic,
Portland’s Damian Lillard, Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan and Washington’s John Wall.
Pacers’ Frank Vogel, Clippers’ Doc Rivers
named NBA Coaches of the Month
NEW YORK – The Indiana Pacers’ Frank Vogel and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Doc Rivers
today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively,
for games played in April.
Vogel led the Pacers to the best record in the Eastern Conference at 6-1. The Pacers won their final
three games and held off the Detroit Pistons for the seventh seed in the East playoffs.
Indiana averaged 108 points per game and shot a conference-best 49.3 percent from the field in April.
Four of the Pacers’ six wins came by double digits, and their +8.6 scoring differential led the conference.
Rivers guided the Clippers, the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, to a 6-1 record,
tops in the West. The Clippers surrendered 100 or more points just twice in seven games and held
opponents to an average of 94.1 points on a league-low 40.6 percent shooting from the field.
L.A. posted back-to-back home wins over two West playoff teams, the Dallas Mavericks and
Memphis Grizzlies, on April 10 and 12, rounding out a 4-0 month at Staples Center.
Other nominees for Coach of the Month were Boston’s Brad Stevens, Charlotte’s Steve Clifford,
Dallas’ Rick Carlisle, Golden State’s Steve Kerr, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, Portland’s Terry Stotts and
Toronto’s Dwane Casey.
Raptors’ Norman Powell,
Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns
named Kia NBA Rookies of the Month
NEW YORK – The Toronto Raptors’ Norman Powell and the Minnesota Timberwolves’
Karl-Anthony Towns today were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference
Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in April.
Powell helped the Raptors to a 6-2 record behind averages of 15.3 points (tops in the Eastern Conference),
4.4 rebounds (seventh), 2.5 assists (tied-fifth) and 1.4 steals (third). He scored in double figures in
six of eight games and shot 54.8 percent from the field. In Toronto’s regular-season finale,
Powell scored a career-high 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting (including 5-of-6 from three-point range)
and added nine rebounds and five assists during the Raptors’ 103-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Towns becomes the first player to sweep a season of Kia NBA Rookie of the Month awards since the
Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard in 2012-13. In April, Towns helped the Timberwolves to a 4-3 mark
as he led all rookies in scoring (18.9 ppg), rebounding ( 11.7 rpg), blocks (1.7 bpg) and minutes (35.6 mpg).
Towns capped his first NBA season with his 51st double-double (third most in the NBA) when he
tallied 28 points and 14 rebounds during Minnesota’s 144-109 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on April 13.
Here is a closer look at March for Powell and Towns:
Norman Powell, Toronto Raptors
April 1 @ Memphis: Scored 14 points and added five assists and four rebounds during a 99-95
win over the Grizzlies.
April 8 vs. Indiana: Posted 27 points, six rebounds and four assists in a 111-98 win over the Pacers.
April 13 @ Brooklyn: Recorded a career-high 30 points and added nine rebounds and five assists in a
April 13 @ Brooklyn: Recorded a career-high 30 points and added nine rebounds and five assists in a
103-96 win over the Nets.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
April 5 @ Golden State: Scored 20 points and added 12 rebounds and four assists in a 124-117
overtime win against the Warriors.
April 9 @ Portland: Posted 27 points, nine rebounds and two blocks during a 106-105 win over the
Trail Blazers.
April 13 vs. New Orleans: Scored 28 points and added 14 rebounds and three assists during a 144-109
win against the Pelicans.
Other nominees for the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month were Denver’s
Emmanuel Mudiay, New York’s Jerian Grant, Phoenix’s Devin Booker and Utah’s Trey Lyles.
Sioux Falls’ Jarnell Stokes names 2015-16
NBA D-League MVP
NEW YORK – Sioux Falls Skyforce forward Jarnell Stokes has been named the 2015-16
NBA Development League Most Valuable Player in a vote by the league’s 19 head coaches.
Stokes (6-7, 250, Tennessee) played in 28 games (all starts) for the Skyforce this season,
averaging team highs of 20.6 points and 9.3 rebounds. He began the season with the Miami Heat,
playing 16 games on assignment in Sioux Falls, before being traded to New Orleans on Feb. 18 and
waived by the Pelicans one day later. He joined the Skyforce’s roster permanently on Feb. 27.
A 2016 NBA D-League All-Star, Stokes shot an NBA D-League-best 66 percent from the field,
scored in double figures 27 times and recorded 13 double-doubles. He led the team in scoring 14 times a
nd rebounding 13 times. He was named the NBA D-League Player of the Week on Jan. 4 and
earned Player of the Month honors for March and April.
Stokes’ Skyforce won an NBA D-League-record 40 games this season, securing the first seed in the
Eastern Conference playoffs. Sioux Falls swept the Westchester Knicks in the
Eastern Conference Semifinals and currently leads Canton 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Selected in the second round (35th overall) of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, Stokes was
immediately traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, with whom he played 19 games as a rookie during the 2014-15 season. Stokes was traded to Miami in November 2015 and appeared in five games for the Heat this season. I
n 26 career NBA games with Miami and Memphis, he has averaged 2.5 points,
1.5 rebounds and 5.5 minutes.
Stokes will be presented with the NBA D-League MVP Trophy prior to the team’s
Eastern Conference Finals game against the Charge on Sunday, April 17 in Sioux Falls.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
All-Time NBA D-League Most Valuable Player award winners:
2014:15: Tim Frazier (Maine Red Claws)
2013-14: Ron Howard (Fort Wayne Mad Ants) & Othyus Jeffers (Iowa Energy)
2012-13: Andrew Goudelock (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
2011-12: Justin Dentmon (Austin Toros)
2010-11: Curtis Stinson (Iowa Energy)
2009-10: Mike Harris (Rio Grande Valley)
2008-09: Courtney Sims (Iowa Energy)
2007-08: Kasib Powell (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
2006-07: Randy Livingston (Idaho Stampede)
2005-06: Marcus Fizer (Austin Toros)
2004-05: Matt Carroll (Roanoke Dazzle)
2003-04: Tierre Brown (Charleston Lowgators)
2002-03: Devin Brown (Fayetteville Patriots)
2001-02: Ansu Sesay (Greenville Groove)
NBA Board of Governors approves sale
of jersey sponsorships
NEW YORK – The NBA Board of Governors approved the sale of jersey sponsorships,
beginning with the 2017-18 season, as part of a three-year pilot program.
The sponsorship patch will appear on the front left of the game jerseys opposite the Nike logo.
Patches will measure approximately 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches and be adjusted to fit the dimensions of
each sponsor’s logo.
The NBA’s 30 teams will be responsible for selling their own jersey sponsorships.
“Jersey sponsorships provide deeper engagement with partners looking to build a unique association
with our teams and the additional investment will help grow the game in exciting new ways,”
said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “We’re always thinking about innovative ways the NBA can
remain competitive in a global marketplace, and we are excited to see the results of this three-year trial.”
The sponsor patch will not appear on the retail versions of the player jerseys but teams will have the
option to sell the jerseys with sponsor patches in their own retail outlets.
NBA breaks all-time attendance record for
second consecutive season
NEW YORK – The NBA broke its all-time regular-season attendance record for the second
consecutive season with 21,972,129 fans attending games during the 2015-16 regular season,
eclipsing last year’s record of 21,926,548. The league also set records for viewership,
social media, digital engagement and retail.
Additionally, the NBA this season established regular-season attendance records
for average attendance (17,864), sellouts (723) and average arena capacity (94 percent),
surpassing the previous highs set last year. This year marks the 12th straight season that the l
eague has been at 90 percent or more capacity.
Highlights from the regular season include:
- NBA TV: NBA TV presented its two most-viewed games in history this season
- (Warriors vs. Spurs on April 10: 2,561,000 viewers;
- Warriors vs. Spurs on Jan. 25: 1,442,000 viewers), propelling the network to
- its most-viewed live game coverage ever, averaging 345,000 viewers – up
- 19 percent over last season.
- SOCIAL MEDIA: The NBA set records across social media (Facebook, Instagram,
- Snapchat, Twitter, Vine, YouTube) this season for impressions (30.1 billion, +25%)
- and video views (4.2 billion, +86%). In February, the NBA became the first professional
- sports league to surpass one billion social media likes
- and followers globally across all league, team and player platforms.
- NBA LEAGUE PASS: The league’s package of live out-of-market games generated a
- record 26.7 million game views and more than 1.2 billion minutes viewed to date.
- Setting a new high mark for digital subscriptions sold in a season,
- NBA LEAGUE PASS finished up 10 percent year over year.
- COM AND NBA APP: Spurred by record-breaking NBA App consumption, NBA Digital –
- which includes NBA.com and the NBA App – set all-time highs with 9.1 billion video
- views and 3.3 billion visits, up 160 percent and 27 percent respectively.
- Mobile now accounts for 43 percent of all video views,
- a sharp increase from last season when mobile accounted for 10 percent of all video views.
- MERCHANDISE: Sales of Stephen Curry merchandise rose more than 250 percent
- over the past year, setting the NBAStore.com record for the best-selling player in a
- single season.
- Overall, NBAStore.com merchandise sales were up 16 percent versus last year.
The 2016 NBA Playoffs tip off Saturday, April 18, with 16 teams competing for a trip to T
he Finals and the chance to win The Larry O’Brien Trophy.
NBA statement regarding 2017
NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte
NEW YORK – The following statement has been issued by Mike Bass, Executive Vice President,
Communications:
“During a media availability earlier today following the NBA’s Board of Governors meeting,
Commissioner Adam Silver clarified that the NBA remains deeply concerned about its ability to
successfully host the 2017 All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina, in light of recent legislation
that discriminates against the LGBT community. At no time did Adam affirm that the league would
not move the All-Star Game; rather he stressed repeatedly that the legislation is problematic,
that we feel it is best to engage with the community to work towards a solution, that change is
needed and we are hopeful that it will occur.”
NBA Replay Center reduces review time to 31.9 seconds
NEW YORK – NBA referees spent significantly less time reviewing calls this season as the
NBA Replay Center stepped up its efforts to improve efficiency and maintain the flow of the game.
The average review time was reduced by nearly 25 percent, dropping from 42.1 seconds
during the 2014-15 season to 31.9 seconds.
Overall, the average review time has been trimmed by more than one minute since the state-of-the-art
NBA Replay Center was unveiled last season to enhance the performance of NBA referees.
A review officially starts when the headset is put on by an oncourt referee and ends upon removal.
This season, in addition to the three referees working each game, current NBA referees were staffed
in the NBA Replay Center for all games to make decisions on certain replay situations and facilitate
the on-the-court review of others. With the NBA Replay Center ruling on more than half of all replays,
oncourt referees were able to resume play faster.
Final statistics for the NBA Replay Center during the 2015-16 regular season included:
- The NBA Replay Center conducted 2,296 reviews, averaging 31.9 seconds.
- The 1,228 games monitored averaged 1.87 reviews.
- The top two triggers reviewed were the two-point/three-point made field goal (764 instances)
- and end-of-period made field goal (527 instances).
The NBA Replay Center provides NBA referees with multiple camera angles on one screen
at the same time, ensuring they have the best angles to make a ruling when a play is reviewable.
Located in Secaucus, N.J., the facility is outfitted with 19 replay stations and more than
100 television monitors and is directly connected to all 29 NBA arenas, streamlining the process
of instant replay video review.
NBA Replay Center 2015-16 Regular Season Breakdown Trigger and Average Chart
| Trigger | Frequency | Overall Representation | Avg. Review Time (seconds) |
| End of Period Made FG | 527 | 23% | 13.0 |
| Last Second Foul | 44 | 2% | 36.5 |
| Foul-Flagrant Criteria | 230 | 10% | 65.2 |
| Player Altercation | 65 | 3% | 88.6 |
| Clock Malfunction | 14 | 1% | 40.5 |
| 2pt/3pt | 764 | 33% | 18.8 |
| Out of Bounds | 209 | 9% | 52.2 |
| Shot Clock Violation | 132 | 6% | 24.4 |
| Foul-Clear Path Criteria | 172 | 7% | 50.7 |
| Correct FT Shooter | 21 | 1% | 24.0 |
| Shot Clock Reset | 12 | 1% | 53.8 |
| Restricted Area | 8 | 0% | 79.8 |
| Goaltending/Basket Interference | 31 | 1% | 48.0 |
| Off-Ball Foul Timing | 66 | 3% | 43.1 |
| Number of Players on the Court | 1 | 0% | 88.0 |
| Total | 2296 |
Ties broken for NBA Draft 2016 order of selection
NEW YORK – Ties among teams that finished the 2015-16 NBA regular season with identical
records were broken today through random drawings to help determine the order of selection for
NBA Draft 2016 presented by State Farm, which will be held on Thursday, June 23.
The drawings were conducted earlier today in New York City by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President,
Basketball Operations. The tiebreak process was overseen by Denise Pelli, a representative from
the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.
The results of the drawings:
- Sacramento (33-49) won a tiebreaker with Denver and Milwaukee;
- Denver then won a tiebreaker with Milwaukee.
- Dallas (42-40) won a tiebreaker with Memphis.
- Detroit (44-38) won a tiebreaker with Portland.
- Atlanta (48-34) won a tiebreaker with Boston, Charlotte and Miami;
- Charlotte then won a tiebreaker with Boston and Miami;
- Boston then won a tiebreaker with Miami.
2016 FIRST ROUND DRAFT CHOICE ORDER
Attached is the order of selection for the 2016 NBA Draft presented by State Farm,
as well as the number of chances for teams in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery,
to be held on Tuesday, May 17.
The teams entered in the lottery are as follows (note: the first three picks in the Draftwill be determined by the lottery and the remainder of the “lottery teams” will select inpositions 4 through 14 in inverse order of their consolidated standings at the end of the regular season):Philadelphia[1] 10-72 0.122 250 LA Lakers[2] 17-65 0.207 199 Brooklyn (To Boston) 21-61 0.256 156 Phoenix 23-59 0.280 119 Minnesota 29-53 0.354 88 New Orleans 30-52 0.366 63 New York (To Denver or Toronto) 32-50 0.390 43 Sacramento[3] 33-49 0.402 19 Denver[4] 33-49 0.402 19 Milwaukee 33-49 0.402 18 Orlando 35-47 0.427 8 Utah 40-42 0.488 7 Washington[5] 41-41 0.500 6 Chicago 42-40 0.512 5 The order for the remainder of the first round picks is as follows:15. Houston (To Denver) 41-41 0.500 16. Dallas (To Boston) 42-40 0.512 17. Memphis 42-40 0.512 18. Detroit 44-38 0.537 19. Portland (To Denver) 44-38 0.537 20. Indiana 45-37 0.549 21. Atlanta 48-34 0.585 22. Charlotte 48-34 0.585 23. Boston 48-34 0.585 24. Miami (To Philadelphia via Cleveland) 48-34 0.585 25. LA Clippers 53-29 0.646 26. Oklahoma City (To Philadelphia via Denver and Cleveland) 55-27 0.671 27. Toronto 56-26 0.683 28. Cleveland (To Phoenix via Boston) 57-25 0.695 29. San Antonio 67-15 0.817 30. Golden State 73-9 0.890 2016 SECOND ROUND DRAFT CHOICE ORDER
31. Philadelphia (To Boston via Miami) 32. LA Lakers 33. Brooklyn (To LA Clippers) 34. Phoenix 35. Minnesota (To Boston via Phoenix) 36. New Orleans (To Milwaukee via Sacramento) 37. New York (To Houston via Sacramento and Portland) 38/39/40. Milwaukee 38/39/40. Denver (To New Orleans via Philadelphia) 38/39/40. Sacramento (To New Orleans) 41. Orlando 42. Utah 43. Houston 44. Washington (To Atlanta) 45. Memphis (To Boston) 46. Dallas 47. Chicago (To Orlando) 48. Portland (To Chicago via Cleveland) 49. Detroit 50. Indiana 51. Miami (To Boston) 52. Boston (To Utah via Memphis) 53. Charlotte (To Denver via Oklahoma City) 54. Atlanta 55. LA Clippers (To Brooklyn) 56. Oklahoma City (To Denver) 57. Toronto (To Memphis) 58. Cleveland (To Boston) 59. San Antonio (To Sacramento) 60. Golden State (To Utah) *Please note that teams that finished the regular season with identical records will select in the second round in inverse order of the order in which they select in the first round. With respect to the tie between the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings (33 and 49; 0.402 pct.): since the order of selection in the first round for this set of teams may change based on the results of the Draft Lottery, the order of selection in the second round cannot be determined until after the Draft Lottery is conducted (on May 17, 2016).
[1] This pick may be conveyed to Sacramento.
[2] This pick may be conveyed to Philadelphia via Phoenix.
[3] This pick may be conveyed to (i) Chicago via Cleveland, or (ii) Philadelphia.
[4] This pick may be conveyed to Toronto via New York.
[5] This pick may be conveyed to Phoenix.
