Giddey and DJ Joint MVPs at the Adelaide 36ers Night of Nights

NBA-bound star Josh Giddey and stellar big man Daniel Johnson have been named joint winners of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award at the Adelaide 36ers Hall of Fame and MVP Awards Dinner on Friday night, presented by Jacob's Creek.

Giddey was honoured virtually due to the current restrictions in his hometown of Melbourne while DJ accepted the Mark Davis perpetual trophy for a record sixth time in front of over 300 guests at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. 

In an NBL rookie season for the ages, 18-year-old Giddey became the youngest Australian to record three triple-doubles, all in the space of two weeks.  Giddey, a projected first-round NBA draft pick, was magnificent all season, averaging 11 points, nearly 8 assists, and 7 rebounds across 27 games.

DJ has long established a reputation as one of the NBL's brightest stars, and this NBL21 was no exception, with the 212 cm forward averaging 19 points and 7 rebounds across 36 games. This season also marked the 33-year-old's 350th NBL game and 300th in an Adelaide 36ers jersey - the latter total seeing him climb to third in Club history behind only Brett Maher and Mark Davis.

Adelaide 36ers Chairman, Grant Kelley, was honoured to recognise the outstanding efforts of both players.

"I think everyone would agree that Josh and DJ were our standout players this season. We all witnessed first-hand the extraordinary development of Josh in his debut NBL season, and wish him well in his quest to become an NBA player. DJ has now won a record six MVPs with the 36ers, and once again shown why he is such an integral part of the Club. They both deserve the win," Kelley commented.

Along with being awarded MVP, DJ was also presented the Member's Choice Award for the second year running.

Jeff Van Groningen, General Manager of Basketball, said, "DJ is an unbelievable talent, and a model of consistency - the Member's Choice Award reflects that. We thank the Members for their recognition of DJ, and I know everyone wholeheartedly agrees that DJ's contribution to the Club is enormous."

Sixers big-man Isaac Humphries received the Coaches Choice Award recognising the strong year he was having until injury cut his season short.

Sunday Dech had an outstanding debut season with the 36ers becoming a fan favourite and capping things off by collecting the Best Defence Player while Jack McVeigh was recognised as the Club's Most Improved Player.

The evening also saw Championship winning Head Coach Ken Cole and shooting guard Darryl Pearce, both part of the Club's first Championship winning team nicknamed "The Invincibles," inducted into the Adelaide 36ers' Hall of Fame.