June 20, 2019, wasn't just another Thursday night in Los Angeles. If you were around the Barker Hangar that evening, you felt a weird mix of tension and celebration. The 2019 NBA Awards were happening. It was the third year the league tried this "post-season awards show" format, and honestly, the vibes were a bit chaotic. Fans were already deep into free agency rumors—the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes were melting Twitter—yet here we were, finally crowning the MVP for a season that felt like it ended a lifetime ago.
But looking back? That specific award ceremony June 20 2019 was a massive pivot point for basketball.
Giannis Antetokounmpo cried. Luka Dončić smiled that "I’m about to take over" smile. We saw the end of an era and the start of a global takeover that nobody—not even the most optimistic scout—fully predicted. It was the night the NBA officially became an international league.
The MVP Race: Giannis vs. Harden
The headline of the award ceremony June 20 2019 was the MVP battle. It was ugly on the internet. You had James Harden putting up historic, Kobe-esque scoring numbers, and you had Giannis Antetokounmpo turning the Milwaukee Bucks into a juggernaut.
When Giannis walked up to that podium, he didn't give a corporate speech. He broke down. He talked about his dad, Charles, who had passed away in 2017. He talked about his mom, Veronica. It was raw. Seeing a 6'11" "Greek Freak" tremble while clutching a trophy—that’s the kind of human moment the NBA desperately needs more of. He won because of the "two-way" narrative. He wasn't just a scorer; he was a defensive wall.
Harden fans were furious. They pointed to the 36.1 points per game. But the voters on June 20, 2019, sent a message: winning and defense still matter. Giannis took home 78 first-place votes. Harden only got 23. It wasn't as close as the media made it out to be, which is kinda wild when you think about the scoring tear Harden was on that year.
The International Takeover Was No Accident
Look at the winners list from that night. It’s genuinely staggering.
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- MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
- Rookie of the Year: Luka Dončić (Slovenia)
- Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert (France)
- Most Improved Player: Pascal Siakam (Cameroon)
Four of the biggest individual trophies went to guys born outside the United States. That had never happened before in the history of the league. Not once. The award ceremony June 20 2019 was the official "checkmate" for the idea that American players held a monopoly on elite talent.
Luka winning Rookie of the Year felt like a formality, even though Trae Young had a monster second half of the season. Luka was just... different. He looked like a 10-year veteran at age 20. And Pascal Siakam? "Spicy P" was the heartbeat of that Raptors championship run. His win was a nod to the "basketball without borders" program and the incredible scouting coming out of Africa.
What People Forget About the 2019 Show
Shaquille O'Neal hosted. It was... something. Shaq is Shaq, so you get the jokes and the physical comedy, but the pacing of these shows always felt a little clunky compared to the old way of announcing awards during the playoffs.
There was also the Lifetime Achievement Award. This was a heavy moment. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson shared it. Seeing those two on stage together—the two men who basically saved the NBA in the 80s—gave the night a weight it otherwise might have lacked. It reminded everyone that while the league was going global with Giannis and Luka, it was built on the backs of the Bird-Magic rivalry.
And don't forget Robin Roberts. She received the Sager Strong Award. Her speech about resilience and her battle with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) was the emotional anchor of the night. It moved the room to silence. Honestly, it was more impactful than half the basketball trophies handed out.
Why We Don't Do It This Way Anymore
You might notice we don't have a big June 20th blowout awards show like this anymore. The NBA eventually realized that waiting until late June—weeks after the Finals end and right when the Draft is happening—kills the momentum.
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By the time the award ceremony June 20 2019 rolled around, the Raptors had already had their parade. Kevin Durant’s Achilles was already headline news. The "hype" for who was the best player in October of the previous year felt stale.
The league has since pivoted back to announcing major awards during the playoffs. It makes sense. You want the MVP to receive the trophy in front of their home crowd during a playoff game, not in a hangar in Cali in front of a bunch of celebrities who might not even know what a "Eurostep" is.
The "What If" Factors
If you look back at the voting results from that night, there are some "blink and you'll miss it" details.
- Lou Williams won Sixth Man of the Year for the third time. He tied Jamal Crawford. It cemented him as the greatest bench spark plug we've ever seen.
- Mike Budenholzer won Coach of the Year. Looking back, this is bittersweet for Bucks fans given how his tenure ended, but in 2019, his system was revolutionary for Giannis.
- Derrick Rose was a finalist for something! Okay, he didn't win, but the fact that he was back in the conversation after his 50-point game with Minnesota was the feel-good subplot of the season.
The 2019 NBA Awards were a snapshot of a league in transition. The Warriors' dynasty was literally crumbling (injuries to KD and Klay), and a new guard was kicking the door down.
Actionable Insights for Basketball Historians and Fans
If you're looking back at this era to understand how the modern NBA was built, you have to study the award ceremony June 20 2019. Here is how to use that data:
Analyze the Shift in Value: Study the voting gap between Harden and Giannis. It shows exactly when the NBA analytics movement started valuing "efficiency plus gravity" over raw volume scoring. Harden’s 36 PPG didn't win because Giannis’s defensive impact was seen as more "valuable" to a 60-win team.
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Track the International Path: Look at the development of Siakam and Giannis. Neither were "sure things." If you are a scout or a fan of team building, 2019 is the blueprint for finding value in non-traditional markets.
Contextualize the "Late Season" Slump: Recognize that awards are a regular-season honor. A common mistake is thinking Giannis didn't deserve it because the Bucks lost to the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. The award ceremony June 20 2019 happened after that loss, which created a false narrative that the award was "wrong." It wasn't. He was the best player from October to April.
Follow the Rookie Trajectory: Compare Luka’s 2019 ROTY season to his current stats. It’s a rare case where a "hyped" winner actually exceeded the ceiling everyone placed on him that night in Los Angeles.
The night ended with a lot of confetti and a very tired Giannis holding a trophy he'd dreamed about since he was selling watches on the streets of Athens. It was a long night, maybe a little too long for a TV broadcast, but it was the night the world finally owned the game of basketball.
To understand where the league is going in 2026 and beyond, you have to look back at that stage on June 20, 2019. The trophies went to the right people. The game changed. And the NBA never looked back.