In an effort to keep up with the times and roll with the punches of the extremely popular social media impact on professional sports, the NBA held their first annual Social Media Awards hosted by former Los Angeles Lakers stars Shaquille O’Neal and Rick Fox.
The NBA players and teams awarded are the most influential presences on the largest social media platforms of Twitter and Facebook over the course of the 2011-12 NBA season. Of the 12 awards handed out on the first annual NBA event, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were able to win awards taking home the honors for Social MVT, #TRENDSETTER and The Thumbs Up Award.
Here are the results of the NBA Social Media Awards:
The Social Slam: Gerald Green, New Jersey Nets
Green takes the honors of the Social Slam with his unbelievable windmill dunk against the Houston Rockets.
The EPIC Award: Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks
Lin was a no-brainer to win a few awards as he took home the EPIC award for creating Linsanity with his best performance coming against the Lakers.
The LOL Award: JaVale McGee, Washington Wizards
McGee is no rocket scientist and he proved that by running to the other end of the court on offense while with the Wizards.
The Snap Shot Award: Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks
Lin strikes again with a picture of the couch he lived on during his 10-day contract with the Knicks.
Triple Threat Award: Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq not only co-hosted the show, but also took home an award of his own by being the most influencial former player, current analyst with social relevance.
The “Got Game” Award: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
As the one player that dominated the highlight reels all season long, Griffin was bound to take home a few awards. This award came at the expense of Kendrick Perkins with the dunk of the year.
#TRENDSETTER: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe topped the charts this season for the most mentions on Twitter. Not bad for guy that doesn’t even have a Twitter account.
The FanNation Award: Los Angeles Clippers
Not only did the Clippers burst onto the scene this season becoming a legitimate force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference, but they also made an impact as the team in the league to see the biggest percentage increase on social media platforms.
The BIG Award: Jared Dudley, Phoenix Suns
Dudley was rewarded for his creativity using social media during the season.
The FTW Award: Kevin Durant vs. Dallas Mavericks
Durant walked away with the award for his buzzer-beater against the Mavs. This was the most liked and shared game-winning shot in the NBA this season.
Social MVT (Most Valuable Team): Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers continue to display their dominance in social media by taking home the award for the Most Valuable Team. No team comes close to the Lakers in this category.
The Thumbs Up Award: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe made his presence felt on Facebook as well as Twitter with posts that received the most likes.
Social Breakout Award: Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks
Lin wins his third award of the night for seeing the biggest increasing in social media following.
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