| 2015 NBPA Players Awards | |
| Location: | Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino Paradise NV |
| Host: | Jay Pharoah |
| Acts: | Lil Wayne 2 Chainz Jason Derulo Fifth Harmony Monica Kid Ink DJ Khaled Gary Owen |
| Network: | BET Networks |
| Runtime: | 2 hours, edited |
The 2015 NBPA Players Awards was the inaugural presentation of the NBPA Players Awards. Organized and administered by the National Basketball Players Association, the awards presentation was presented on Sunday, 19 July 2015. It was recorded for broadcast by BET Networks and an edited presentation was broadcast on Tuesday, 21 July 2015 at 8pm in the Eastern time zone by the BET and Centric cable networks. Both networks were controlled by BET Networks.
In addition to a number of NBA players, several entertainers appeared on the broadcast including Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Jason Derulo, Fifth Harmony, Monica, Kid Ink, DJ Khaled and comedian Gary Owen. The awards presentation was hosted by comedian Jay Pharoah of Saturday Night Live.
On 15 April 2015, Michèle Roberts, the Executive Director of the NBPA issued a statement announcing the categories and methodology by which players would be voted upon. Ms. Roberts pointed out that candidates were recommended in eight of ten categories with players having the option to write in a name in those eight categories. The vote for MVP was a write-in vote. Every active NBA player during the 2014-15 season voted privately by paper ballot which was sealed and submitted to the American Arbitration Association for tabulation before the end of the regular season.[1]
In subsequent press releases, "top vote getters" were listed alphabetically.[2] [3]
In addition to the awards voted upon, three additional honorees were announced during the awards broadcast.[4]
| Honor | Honoree | |
|---|---|---|
| Oscar Robertson Visionary Award | Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers | |
| Game Changer Award | Allen Iverson | |
| Man of the Year Award | Ray Allen Mr. Allen was addressed by President Barack Obama at part of the presentation of the award. |