In the lead up to the BIG3’s highly anticipated Championship Game this Saturday in Las Vegas, the league announced the winners of the inaugural season’s BIG3 Player Awards. True to the league’s ethos of putting players first, the honorees were all nominated and voted on by the players.
The 3 Headed Monsters’ Rashard Lewis earned the league’s first ever Most Valuable Player award. Despite losing his fellow Player Captain Jason ‘White Chocolate’ Williams to a season-ending injury in the first game, ‘Sweet Lew’ guided his team to the second best record in the league. Lewis led the league with an impressive 170 points, averaging 21.3 points per game, and shooting better than 50% in all but one game. He fearlessly guided the 3 Headed Monsters to the Championship Game by securing a semifinals victory last weekend in Seattle, bringing fans to their feet with thunderous cheers for their hometown hero.
Fresh off its undefeated regular season, Trilogy led the pack with four individual honors. Rick Mahorn was named Coach of the Yearfor his work in deftly shepherding the team to nine consecutive victories. In two of the last three games, his squad faced significant deficits of nine and 14 points, putting their perfect season in jeopardy, but Mahorn showed his mettle and maintained his team’s composure bringing them back from the brink of defeat to secure decisive victories. Kenyon Martin was recognized as the Player Captain of the Year, for his leadership both on and off the half-court. His strategic decision making at the BIG3 Draft ensured early on that Trilogy had all of the key facets to construct their perfect season. James ‘Flight’ White got the nod for Defensive Player of the Year, and Trilogy Co-Captain Al Harrington earned the Too Hard to Guard title, for his elusive offensive technique. Trilogy ended the regular season with a pristine 8-0 record, and toppled the Ghost Ballers 50-39 in the semifinals to advance to the BIG3 Championship Game in Las Vegas.
Stephen Jackson was dubbed the BIG3’s Best Trash Talker following more than a few fiery, passion-fueled exchanges with his adversaries – both on the court, and on social media. Jackson also finished the season as the league’s runner-up in points with 167, proving his bark is just as strong as his bite. Power’s Cuttino Mobley beat out stiff competition to lock up the Best Dressed honor, thanks to his impeccable sartorial selections. 3’s Company’s Al Thornton was recognized as the 4th Man, for his adaptability and key contributions off the bench all season long.
FULL LIST OF BIG3 2017 PLAYER AWARDS:
- Most Valuable Player: Rashard Lewis, 3 Headed Monsters
- Coach of the Year: Rick Mahorn, Trilogy
- Player Captain of the Year: Kenyon Martin, Trilogy
- Defensive Player of the Year: James White, Trilogy
- Too Hard to Guard: Al Harrington, Trilogy
- Best Trash Talker: Stephen Jackson, Killer 3s
- Best Dressed: Cuttino Mobley, Power
- 4th Man: Al Thornton, 3’s Company
Killer 3s’ Reggie Evans finished the season as the stats leader in four categories: Total Rebounds (87), Offensive Rebounds (26), Field Goal % (.638) and Double-Doubles (4). DeShawn Stevenson sunk a league-leading 32 3-pointers, while Mike Bibby took the 4 Point King title, sinking a grand total of 6. He also led the league in assists with 30. League scoring leader (170) Rashard Lewis, also notched the most game-winning shots with four, cementing him as the deciding factor in four of his teams six victories. For the full list of 2017 BIG3 stat leaders, please see below:
BIG3 2017 REGULAR SEASON STATISTICAL LEADERS
- Points Scored: Rashard Lewis, 3-Headed Monsters (170)
- 3-Pointers: DeShawn Stevenson, Power (32)
- 3-Point %: DeShawn Stevenson, Power (.427)
- 4-Pointers: Mike Bibby, Ghost Ballers (6)
- 4-Point %: Rashard Lewis, 3-Headed Monsters (.667)
- Total Rebounds: Reggie Evans, Killer 3s (87)
- Offensive Rebounds: Reggie Evans, Killer 3s (26)
- Assists: Mike Bibby, Ghost Ballers (30)
- Steals: Bonzi Wells, Tri-State (7)
- Blocks: DerMarr Johnson, 3’s Company (7), Rasual Butler, Ball Hogs (7)
- Field Goal %: Reggie Evans, Killer 3s (.638)
- Free Throw %: James White, Trilogy (.833)
- Plus/Minus: James White, Trilogy (87)
- Double-Doubles: Reggie Evans, Killer 3s (4)
- Game-Winning Shots: Rashard Lewis, 3-Headed Monsters (4)
- Minutes Played: Stephen Jackson, Killer 3s (259)