NEW YORK (AP) — Nilagpasan ni Russell Westbrook si Oscar Robertson sa record book bilang pinakamaraming triple-double sa isang season. Sa kabuuan, nilagpasan niya ang mga karibal para sa NBA MVP Award.
Iniluklok ang matikas na point guard ng Oklahoma City Thunder bilang MVP ng 2017 season matapos maitala ang record 42 triple-doubles. Nanguna siya sa liga na may averaged 31.6 puntos, 10.7 rebound at 10.4 assist.
"I remember growing up just being home, playing the video games and stuff with my pops, and my mom sitting there and my brother and just talking about maybe one day I could be the MVP. Obviously I was joking at the time," pahayag ni Westbrook.
"But now to be standing here with this trophy next to me is a true blessing, man, and it's an unbelievable feeling, something that I can never imagine."
Goodbye PBA? John Amores, tinanggalan na ng professional license!
Nakuha niya ang 69 first-place votes at 888 puntos mula sa panel na binubuo ng 100 media member, gayundin sa fan vote para gapiin sina Houston's James Harden, may 22 first-place votes at 753 puntos at Kawhi Leonard na may siyam na first-place votes at 500 puntos.
Pinalitan ni Westbrook si Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, tinanghal na back-to-back MVP sa nakalipas na season.
Tangan ng Thunder ang 33-9 marka sa larong nakapagtala ng triple-double si Westbrook. Nakausad sila sa playoffs sa unang season na wala ang dating MVP at scoring champion na si Kevin Durant na lumipat sa Golden State Warriors.
"Oscar, guys like him, Magic Johnson, those guys, obviously I wasn't able to see those guys play, but just to look back at history and see the things that they did, it's something that I looked up to as a kid," sambit ni Westbrook.
"I never thought I would be able to say that I broke Oscar Robertson's record, and that's just a true blessing."
Nakuha naman ni Milwaukee's Malcolm Brogdon ang Rookie of the Year honor para maging unang player na hindi bahagi ng first round pick. Tinalo ng 36th pick na si Brogdon sina No.1 pick Philadelphia's Dario Saric at Joel Embiid.
"I think it's an example for guys that are told they are too short, they are not athletic enough, they are not real point guards, they are not real shooting guards," sambit ni Brogdon.
Napili naman si Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo bilang Most Improved Player award, habang si Houston coach Mike D'Antoni ang Coach of the Year at si Rockets' Eric Gordon ang Sixth Man of the Year.
"Obviously I'm just proud of the team and the way they responded all year. Great organization," sambit ni D'Antoni, gumabay sa 55 win ng Rockets sa nakalipas na season.
"This is not an individual award. This is a lot of people, a lot of hard work goes into it, and I'm the recipient of some pretty good players."
