NEW YORK – Rio Grande Valley Vipers forward Anthony Lamb has been named the 2020-21 NBA G League Most Improved Player, the NBA G League announced today.  The award, which honors the player who demonstrates the most significant improvement during the season, was voted on by NBA G League head coaches and general managers whose teams participated in single-site play at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.

In his first NBA G League season, Lamb (6-6, 227, Vermont) averaged 11.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 21.7 minutes in 12 regular-season games.  He played his first six games with the Canton Charge and his final six games with the Vipers.

Lamb averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.6 minutes in his six games with Canton, which selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA G League Draft.  Acquired by Rio Grande Valley in a trade with the Charge on Feb. 25, Lamb averaged 18.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.50 steals and 1.33 blocks in 33.8 minutes while shooting 56.0% from the field and 41.9% from three-point range in his six games with the Vipers.

On the same day of his trade to Rio Grande Valley, Lamb recorded 32 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Vipers in their 124-113 win over the Erie BayHawks.  The next day, Feb. 26, he finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals in Rio Grande Valley’s 120-102 victory over the Charge.

After beginning the season 3-6 without Lamb, the Vipers went on a six-game winning streak with him in their starting lineup to reach the NBA G League Playoffs as the seventh seed.  On March 8, Lamb was signed to a two-way contract by the Houston Rockets, the parent club of Rio Grande Valley.

Oklahoma City Blue center Moses Brown and Fort Wayne Mad Ants forward Oshae Brissett finished in second and third place, respectively, in voting for the 2020-21 NBA G League Most Improved Player Award.

All-Time NBA G League Most Improved Player Award Winners
2020-21: Anthony Lamb (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
2019-20: Gabe Vincent (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
2018-19: Michael Frazier (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
2017-18: DeQuan Jones (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)
2016-17: Devondrick Walker (Delaware 87ers)
2015-16: Axel Toupane (Raptors 905)
2014-15: Joe Jackson (Bakersfield Jam)
2013-14: Frank Gaines (Maine Red Claws)
2012-13: Cameron Jones (Santa Cruz Warriors)
2011-12: Kenny Hayes (Maine Red Claws)
2010-11: Dar Tucker (New Mexico Thunderbirds)
2009-10: Mildon Ambres (Idaho Stampede)

About the NBA G League
The NBA’s official minor league, the NBA G League prepares players, coaches, officials, trainers and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory. Featuring 29 teams, 28 with direct affiliations to NBA franchises for 2020-21, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. A record 45 percent of all NBA players at the start of the 2020-21 season boasted NBA G League experience. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA Cares programs.