Timberwolves’ Kevin Love wins 2010-11 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award
NEW YORK – Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves is the winner of the 2010-11 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award, the NBA announced today. The annual award is presented to a player who has made a significant improvement from the previous season.
Love received 400 of a possible 580 points, including 66 first-place votes, from a panel of 116 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers (157 points, 11 first-place votes) and Dorell Wright of the Golden State Warriors (124 points, 16 first-place votes) finished second and third, respectively. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third place vote received.
Love, who earned his first All-Star berth in 2010-11, set career highs in most categories, including points (20.2 ppg), rebounds (league-leading 15.2 rpg), assists (2.5 apg), double-doubles (64) field goal percentage (.470), three-point field goal percentage (.417) and free throw percentage (.850). Love started all 73 games in which he appeared after starting 22 of 60 during the 2009-10 campaign, and increased his points per game by 44 percent and his rebounds per game by 38 percent. He became the first player to average at least 20 points and 15 rebounds since Moses Malone (24.5 ppg, 15.3 rpg) in 1982-83. Love recorded a club-record 53 consecutive double-doubles, the longest streak in the NBA since Elvin Hayes ran off 55 in 1973-74.
As part of its support of the Most Improved Player Award, Kia Motors America will donate a new Kia Sorento CUV to The Dylan Witschen Foundation, whose mission is to celebrate and honor the life of Dylan and support his dreams and maintain his legacy by providing scholarships to college bound students and raising funds in support of St. Jude’s cancer research efforts.
Kia Motors will present a brand new Sorento to the charity of choice of each of four 2010-11 season-end award winners as part of the “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” Following this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 16 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA’s prestigious year-end honors began with the 2007-2008 season.
The 2010-11 Most Improved Player Award presented by Kia Motors is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” The series, currently in its fourth season, is a significant part of the multiyear marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, and also includes the Most Improved Player, Defensive Player, Sixth Man and Most Valuable Player of the Year Awards. It also includes the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month which are awarded during the regular season. For more information on the “The Kia NBA Performance Awards” visit www.NBA.com/performanceawards.
Attached are the 2010-11 voting results and the all-time Kia NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award winners:
2010-11 KIA NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD
1st Place (5 Pts) 2nd Place (3 Pts) 3rd Place (1 pts) Total
Kevin Love Minnesota 66 21 7 400
LaMarcus Aldridge Portland 11 29 15 157
Dorell Wright Golden State 16 10 14 124
Derrick Rose Chicago 11 3 5 69
Kris Humphries New Jersey 1 13 19 63
Kyle Lowry Houston 3 7 12 48
Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City 3 6 13 46
Wesley Matthews Portland 2 7 1 32
Jrue Holiday Philadelphia 1 2 4 15
Michael Conley Memphis — 3 5 14
Arron Afflalo Denver — 4 1 13
Roy Hibbert Indiana 1 1 1 9
DeMar DeRozan Toronto 1 — 1 6
Tyler Hansbrough Indiana — 1 2 5
Nick Young Washington — 1 2 5
Eric Gordon L.A. Clippers — 1 2 5
Darrell Arthur Memphis — 1 1 4
Serge Ibaka Oklahoma City — 1 1 4
DeAndre Jordan L.A. Clippers — 1 1 4
Thaddeus Young Philadelphia — 1 1 4
DJ Augustin Charlotte — 1 — 3
Luol Deng Chicago — 1 — 3
Amar’e Stoudemire New York — 1 — 3
Tony Allen Memphis — — 1 1
Michael Beasley Minnesota — — 1 1
Elton Brand Philadelphia — — 1 1
Tyson Chandler Dallas — — 1 1
Jared Dudley Phoenix — — 1 1
Marcin Gortat Phoenix — — 1 1
James Harden Oklahoma City — — 1 1
Jodie Meeks Philadelphia — — 1 1
ALL-TIME KIA NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD
1985-86 Alvin Robertson, San Antonio
1986-87 Dale Ellis, Seattle
1987-88 Kevin Duckworth, Portland
1988-89 Kevin Johnson, Phoenix
1989-90 Rony Seikaly, Miami
1990-91 Scott Skiles, Orlando
1991-92 Pervis Ellison, Washington
1992-93 Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Denver
1993-94 Don MacLean, Washington
1994-95 Dana Barros, Philadelphia
1995-96 Gheorghe Muresan, Washington
1996-97 Isaac Austin, Miami
1997-98 Alan Henderson, Atlanta
1998-99 Darrell Armstrong, Orlando
1999-00 Jalen Rose, Indiana
2000-01 Tracy McGrady, Orlando
2001-02 Jermaine O’Neal, Indiana
2002-03 Gilbert Arenas, Golden State
2003-04 Zach Randolph, Portland
2004-05 *Bobby Simmons, L.A. Clippers
2005-06 Boris Diaw, Phoenix
2006-07 Monta Ellis, Golden State
2007-08 Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando
2008-09 Danny Granger, Indiana
2009-10 *Aaron Brooks, Houston
2010-11 Kevin Love, Minnesota
*NBA Development League Experience
About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 730 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the “Official Automotive Partner of the NBA.” In 2010, KMA recorded its best-ever U.S. sales and 16th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, safety features and new technologies.
Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its Web site – www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.