Perth Wildcats star Bryce Cotton wins his seventh Gordon Ellis Medal as club MVP to set a new record

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Perth Wildcats star Bryce Cotton wins his seventh Gordon Ellis Medal as club MVP to set a new record

Perth Wildcats superstar Bryce Cotton has taken sole occupancy of the club’s record for the most MVPs by winning his seventh Gordon Ellis Medal on Saturday night.

Cotton moved past joint record holders and Wildcats legends Shawn Redhage and Ricky Grace who both won six MVPs during their outstanding careers. He polled 289 votes to win the Ellis Medal by 65 votes. Kristian Doolittle finished second.

Cotton produced a historic run of scoring throughout the 2024-25 season. He scored 59 points against New Zealand in December and then followed up with 40, 49 and 44 points across his next three matches.

But the superstar wasn’t content. He went on to score 41 points against New Zealand in January and then closed out the regular season with 49 points against Adelaide on the way to winning his fifth NBL MVP award.

Camera IconBryce Cotton won his seventh Gordon Ellis Medal. Credit: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

The Wildcats’ MVP system sees a panel of judges awarding votes under a 3-2-1 criteria after every game. Cotton polled the maximum votes in 11 of his 24 matches.

The American has now only been beaten for the Gordon Ellis Medal once from his eight full seasons in NBL. John Mooney won the 2021 award when a serious injury left Cotton sidelined for 10 matches.

“I don’t look at it as overtaking them. We’re all wildcats. We’re all family,” Cotton said of setting the record.

Doolittle’s season was rewarded with the Andrew Vlahov Medal for Defensive Player of the Year for a second season in a row. He also took home the Eric Watterson Medal as the Players’ Player, ending Cotton’s stranglehold on that prize. He’d won that for the past three seasons.

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Camera IconKristian Doolittle in action. Credit: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Ben Henshall won the Wildcats’ Most Improved Player award as he sets his sights on the NBA. Henshall rose from a bench player who struggled to get court time last season to become a key member of the Wildcats’ starting five. Hyrum Harris won the Coaches’ Award.

The Wildcats also added two more names to their Hall of Fame.

The late Jack Bendat was inducted after he transformed the club as owner. The Wildcats won six championships during his 15 years in charge and also moved to RAC Arena to become the most admired club in the league.

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Camera IconPerth Wildcats experienced immense success under Jack Bendat’s ownership. Credit: Michael Wilson/The West ***********

Four-time NBL champion and former vice-captain Greg Hire was also added to the Hall of Fame.

The Wildcats will now turn their focus to the best-of-three semifinal series against Melbourne United. Game one is in Melbourne on Thursday and then the teams will travel back to Perth for a clash at RAC Arena in front of the Red Army on Saturday.

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