Tucson native Bryce Cotton wins third NBL MVP award in four seasons

For the third time in four seasons, Bryce Cotton received the Most Valuable Player award in Australia's National Basketball League, which was announced on Wednesday. 

The Tucson native and former Palo Verde standout landed the Andrew Gaze Trophy with 112 votes, and joined Gaze and NBL legend Leroy Liggins to receive MVP honors in back-to-back seasons. Cotton, a star for the Perth Wildcats, also won the award in 2018 and '20. 

"I just want to say I'm very appreciative to be selected as the NBL MVP," Cotton said during the NBL awards ceremony. "It's always an honor to receive that recognition from your peers and guys you battle against, especially in a league as competitive as this. ... It's been such a crazy year for our team, especially with all the ups and downs being in lockdown to start the season, but just an amazing group of guys and I couldn't have asked for better teammates, coaching staff. It's been a hell of a year." 

The moment when Bryce Cotton claimed his third Andrew Gaze MVP Trophy 🏆#TheGazeys @PerthWildcats pic.twitter.com/YdWOwsIu3P

— The NBL (@NBL) June 16, 2021

M👏V👏PM👏V👏PM👏V👏PHit play on the Bryce Cotton MV-THREE mixtape 📼#TheGazeys @PerthWildcats pic.twitter.com/EqI6BReAMr

— The NBL (@NBL) June 16, 2021

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Now in his fifth season with Perth, Cotton averaged a career-best 23.5 points, 5.7 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game this year. 

“I know how hard it is to play against him,” Perth teammate Will Magnay told PerthNow.com. “He just draws so much attention. You’re more comfortable knowing he’s out there running around. You know he’s going hit big shots. You have full faith in him.

“He believes in himself and that puts more belief in you that you can give him the ball and get out of his way. He’s a hell of a player and he’s a really, really nice guy.”

Former Arizona Wildcat Justin Simon, who played for the UA in the 2015-16 season, was voted the top NBL defensive player in 2021 as a member of the Illawarra Hawks. 

The Hawks recently lost to Cotton's Wildcats in the NBL playoffs. Perth will now face Melbourne United in a best-of-three series in the NBL Grand Finals, with the first game slated for Friday.