Phoenix Suns’ head coach Monty Williams won the Red Auerbach Trophy as NBA Coach of the Year.
Williams, 50, garnered 81 first-place votes and 458 points total in balloting by a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.
The third-year coach was surprised by his family, who presented the award to him at Suns’ practice, with his youngest son Micah handing him the trophy.
“I’m just grateful that you guys allow me and the staff to coach you guys. The way we do. And the connection we have, the family atmosphere everybody back here that makes all of this work. Having my family be a part of this; this is so stinking cool. I love you guys. I appreciate this, but this is us,” said Williams as he raised the trophy in the air.
With 17 first-place votes and 270 points, Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins came in second, and the Miami Heats Eric Spoelstra was third with one first-place vote and 72 points.
Wiliams led Phoenix to the best record in the league at 64-18.
He joins Cotton Fitzsimmons (1988-89) and Mike D’Antoni (2004-05) as the only Phoenix coaches to win the award.
Last month, Williams won the National Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year award for the second season in a row.
“If there’s one award that exemplifies team, it’s the Coach of the Year award because there’s not a coach in the NBA that has bad intentions for the program or for the players,” Williams said. “Nobody walks into the gym and hopes that their guys play poorly and tells them not to work and, ‘Please, don’t play defense.’ We don’t do that. In order to get an award like this, it takes a lot of people.”
The Suns will try to take a 3-2 lead against the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night when they tip off at Footprint Center.