After debating individual award contenders all season, NBA fans now know the finalists for all of the major ones.

The names were released during Sunday's NBA Tip-Off on TNT, with the MVP candidates serving as the headliners.

Here is a look at the full list:

• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets 
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks

Defensive Player of the Year

• Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
• Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Rookie of the Year

• Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Sixth Man of the Year

• Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings
• Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks
• Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves

Coach of the Year

• Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic

Most Improved Player

• Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
• Coby White, Chicago Bulls
• Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets

Clutch Player of the Year

• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

While all of the awards generate headlines, the biggest one is the MVP race.

And one of the finalists is primed to make history.

Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokić has the opportunity to win his third MVP in the last four years and join an exclusive list of some of the best players in the history of the league as a three-time winner.

In fact, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), LeBron James (four), Wilt Chamberlain (four), Magic Johnson (three), Larry Bird (three) and Moses Malone (three) have won MVP three different times, and Jokić is now on the verge of doing it in a four-year span.

He just missed his third last season when he finished second to Joel Embiid, who happened to finish in second place in 2020-21 and 2021-22 when Jokić won it.

Embiid fell out of the race early because of a knee injury that required surgery. The NBA put in a rule this season that required players to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for the top individual honors, including MVP, and the Philadelphia 76ers star played in just 39.

Although it didn't shape up to be another Jokić-Embiid battle, there were plenty of challengers for the MVP outside of the Nuggets big man.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander propelled his young Oklahoma City Thunder team to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with an incredible season, Luka Dončić led the league in scoring at 33.9 points per game and was an unstoppable triple-double machine throughout the campaign, and Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo were excellent in the Eastern Conference.

Still, it seems like Jokić is going to make history.

He finished atop NBA.com's MVP ladder after sitting in the No. 1 position for much of the season. He performed at an incredibly high level throughout the campaign despite consistently facing double-teams and getting the best shot from opponents on a nightly basis as the top player on the reigning champions.

Jokić ended up averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from deep. He can overpower defenders on the block, run the floor, extend his game beyond the arc and even direct the offense like a point guard from the elbow.

He was the league's most dominant player once again and has the opportunity to take home yet another MVP award and perhaps back-to-back championships in the coming weeks.