UNC basketball product lands among three finalists for major NBA award

It should come as no surprise that voters included Chicago Bulls fifth-year guard and former UNC basketball sensation Coby White as one of Sunday's three finalists for this year's Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award. Still, it's an impressive honor to end up in this group, even if the 24-year-old from Goldsboro, North Carolina doesn't end up taking home the hardware.

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The other two finalists are Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey and Houston Rockets forward Alperen Sengun.

The date of the winner's announcement is not yet known. On Tuesday evening, TNT will begin announcing the recipients of the league's seven regular season awards – including Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Clutch Player of the Year, “Sixth Man of the Year” and “Coach of”. the year – and will continue to do so throughout our coverage of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

White, who was taken No. 7 overall by the Bulls in the 2019 NBA Draft, averaged 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists on the Chicago Bulls' 2023-24 roster with a 39-43 record Career-high regular season and missed a play-in tournament win to reach the NBA playoffs. The ever-improving professional bucket-getter's scoring average has nearly doubled from the 9.7 points per game he posted during the 2022-23 season.

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