Men - The CandidatesReturning to Russia during the NBA lockout, Kirilenko thrived in Moscow. The 31-year-old was instrumental in leading CSKA to the Euroleague final and gold in the Russian domestic and VTB Leagues. The 2.06m forward then turned his attentions to national duties, navigating his team through a difficult Olympic Qualifying Draw in Venezuala, before averaging a team-high 17.5 points-a-night in London, helping Russia secure bronze. Returning to the U.S. this season, Kirilenko has made a promising start in Minnesota, averaging 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds a night through the first 14 games of the season. |
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Italian basketball is back on the up and it is of little coincidence that the success has come parallel to the rise of the ever-improving Danilo Gallinari. The 24-year-old small forward cemented a starting role for the Denver Nuggets in 2011/2012, before carrying his good form over to the EuroBasket 2013 qualifiers, where he averaged 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds as the Azzurri won all eight games. Gallinari is now averaging in double figures for a fourth consecutive season as he attempts to make a post-season appearance for a third year running. |
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Whilst a move to Houston has taken the NBA career of one player on this list to the next level, a move away from Texas' biggest city has done the same for Goran Dragic. After finishing his first NBA season with a double-digit average in the points column, "Gogi" was traded back to Phoenix in the summer, and has had an immediate impact in his new city, where he is averaging a career-best 15.3 points and 6.6 assists a game, making post-Nash life in Phoenix seem a whole lot sunnier. |
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Prior to 2012, if someone said Gasol, it was safe to assume the person was referring to Pau. Not any longer. Younger brother Marc has been a consistent performer for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Spanish national team for a number of years but in 2012 the center, and the Grizzlies, became truly relevant. Earning a maiden NBA All-Star game appearance, Marc then went to London, forming a formidable front-court combination with his brother, averaging 12.6 points a night as Spain earned silver. |
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The Polish hammer was sorely missed by his national team at EuroBasket 2011 but proudly returned to action in summer 2012 to lead his team to qualification for EuroBasket 2013. 2011/12 was his best season in the NBA so far with a double-double of 15.4 points and 10 rebounds per-game. In the EuroBasket 2013 Qualification Round, Gortat stood out as the second best rebounder and fourth best scorer of the competition, leading his team to top spot in Group E. He also had the most double-doubles (six) and second-most blocked shots (2.3). |
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Nikola Pekovic's 2010/2011 rookie season in the NBA was hardly worth mentioning, but ‘Pek-citement' grew fast during his second campaign with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Once handed the starting job, the Montenegrin center blossomed, compiling double-doubles night in, night out. A powerhouse in every sense, Pekovic was considered a strong candidate for 2011/2012 NBA Most Improved Player. The 26-year-old missed the EuroBasket 2013 Qualification Round last summer due to injury, but Montenegro will hope to have him back in full strength in Slovenia next year. |
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After warming the bench for Joakim Noah in Chicago for two seasons, a move south to the more temperate Houston has provided "the Turkish Hammer," Omer Asik, with the NBA breakthrough he has been waiting for. Starting in all 16 of the Rockets' first games of the season, the 26-year-old was averaging NBA career-best figures of 11 points and 12.3 rebounds a night, earning widespread plaudits in the US media as the Rockets look to return to post-season action following a three-year hiatus. |
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Despite the off-court issues in Los Angeles this past season, Pau Gasol was letting his actions on the court do the talking, finishing his third consecutive NBA season with a double-double record (17.4 points and 10.4 rebounds). The 12-year NBA veteran then turned his attentions to the Olympics, averaging a team-high 19.1 points, including 24 in the gold medal loss to the USA. It has been a less-than-perfect start for the Lakers this season, but Gasol has been his workmanlike self, averaging 12.6 points and 8.8 rebounds through the opening 17 games of the season. |
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"But I'm fine, I haven't played for three days Pop, I'm 29 years old," 11-year NBA veteran Tony Parker protested midway through the 2011/2012 NBA play-offs when San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich tried to pull him from the game. Popovich could be forgiven for thinking that Parker is older, given how much he has already achieved for France and the Spurs. It was another exemplary year for Parker, who averaged 18.3 points and a career-best 7.7 assists during the 2011/2012 NBA regular season, before leading France to the quarters at the Olympics. |
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The 2011/12 Euroleague season turned out to be the year of Vassilis Spanoulis. The guard was red-hot all season, posting a career-high scoring average of 16.7. In the Euroleague final, "V-Span's" Olympiacos beat huge favourites CSKA Moscow in a game for the ages, coming back from a 19-point deficit to win it on the last possession, on an assist provided by Spanoulis. Logically, he was named Finals MVP. Greece's playmaker returned to the national team in 2012, leading Greece in scoring and assists as they fell just short of qualifying to the London Olympics. |
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| All WinnersMen
2012: Andrei Kirilenko
2011: Dirk Nowitzki
2010: Milos Teodosic
2009: Pau Gasol
2008: Pau Gasol
2007: Andrei Kirilenko
2006: Theo Papaloukas
2005: Dirk Nowitzki Women
2012: Celine Dumerc
2011: Alba Torrens
2010: Hana Horáková
2009: Sandrine Gruda
2008: Maria Stepanova
2007: Anete Jekabsone-Zogota
2006: Maria Stepanova
2005: Maria Stepanova Young Men
2012: Jonas Valanciunas
2011: Jonas Valanciunas
2010: Jan Vesely
2009: Ricky Rubio
2008: Ricky Rubio
2007: Ricky Rubio
2006: Rudy Fernandez
2005: Nikolaos Zisis Young Women
2012: Alina Iagupova
2011: Emma Meesseman
2010: Nika Baric
2009: Alba Torrens
2008: Gintare Petronyte
2007: Sonja Petrovic
2006: Sandrine Gruda
2005: Anete Jekabsone |
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