Kristian Doolittle wins Perth Wildcats MVP award after superb NBL season

Perth Wildcats import Kristian Doolittle has written his name into club folklore, with a historic victory in the club’s MVP award.

Doolittle entered Saturday night’s awards dinner as the favourite after being picked in the All-NBL First Team, but that group is selected by coaches, captains and media based on their opinions on the season. The Wildcats’ MVP award is voted on after every game.

Bryce Cotton has dominated the Gordon Ellis Medal, winning it seven times since arriving in Perth during 2017. But his departure meant the Wildcats needed another star to step up and Doolittle answered the call.

He signed a three-year contract at the end of last season, committing to becoming one of the faces of the club.

The American went on to have a superb season where he averaged 16.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

He split his game between guarding the opposition’s best player, sometimes playing as the point guard, providing a rebounding presence and being the star who needed to score.

Doolittle was also nominated for the NBL MVP award and the Defensive Player of the Year.

Doolittle’s defensive prowess was rewarded by the Wildcats after he was named their Best Defensive Player.

Captain Jesse Wagstaff’s outstanding leadership and ongoing brilliance was noted by his teammates and he took home the Eric Watterson Medal as the Player’s Player. Wagstaff will turn 40 in April but his ability to come off the bench, make crucial plays, make his teammates better and steady the group when pressure mounts has been superb.

His season included a recent rare slam dunk and he won the Paul Rogers Medal in the final home and away game as the best player in the win over Adelaide.

David Okwera’s rise was recognised after he was named the club’s Most Improved Player.

His time on court doubled to 12 minutes per game this season and he became an impact player who could change the momentum at key times.

Okwera’s aggression, rebounding and ability to score made him a crucial performer during his fifth year in the NBL.

Okwera began his career at Melbourne United but moved to home to Western Australia ahead of the 2023-24 season to give himself the best chance of excelling.

Development Player Tom Gerovich won the Coaches’ Award.

The club also inducted former star Martin Cattalini into the Hall of Fame. Cattalini won two championships during a brilliant career where he also represented Australia at the Olympics.