NBA players have selected Memphis Grizzlies guard Vince Carter as the recipient of the 2015-16 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, the NBA announced today. The award recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.
More than 300 NBA players submitted their votes through confidential balloting conducted by the league office. The 12 nominees were chosen by a panel of NBA legends as well as executives from the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association.
Carter totaled 1,448 points from the players, including 65 first-place votes. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett finished second with 916 points (39 first-place votes), and the Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh placed third with 799 points (18 first-place votes). Ten points were awarded for a first-place vote, seven for a second-place vote, five for a third, three for a fourth and one for a fifth.
An eight-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Team selection, Carter has spent the last two seasons of his 18-year career with Memphis. Carter ranks 24th on the NBA’s career scoring list (23,969 points) and sixth in three-pointers made (1,937). He finished second to the San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan in last year’s voting for the Twyman-Stokes honor.
Carter will be presented with the trophy by 2013-14 Twyman-Stokes winner Shane Battier today, June 8 in an on-court ceremony during Game 3 of The Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors in Cleveland. As part of its support for the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, the NBA will make a $25,000 donation to Carter’s foundation, the Embassy of Hope Foundation, which assists organizations and individuals in improving the quality of life for children.
Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes, whose storied friendship transcended their Hall of Fame accomplishments, are honored with an annual NBA award in their names that recognizes the ideal teammate. Twyman and Stokes were teammates on the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals from 1955-58. In the last game of the 1957-58 regular season, Stokes suffered an injury that led to his falling into a coma days later and becoming permanently paralyzed. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic encephalopathy, a brain injury that damaged his motor-control center. Stokes was supported for the rest of his life by Twyman, who became his legal guardian and advocate.
Twyman helped organize the NBA’s Maurice Stokes Memorial Basketball Game, which raised funds for Stokes’ medical care and, after Stokes’ death in 1970 at age 36, for other players in need. In 2004, after years of lobbying by Twyman, Stokes was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Twyman, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983, died in 2012.
Along with Carter, Garnett and Bosh, the other finalists for the 2015-16 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award were Ryan Anderson (New Orleans Pelicans), Caron Butler (Sacramento Kings), Jose Calderon (New York Knicks), Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Festus Ezeli (Golden State), James Jones (Cleveland), Andre Miller (San Antonio), Luis Scola (Toronto Raptors) and Marvin Williams (Atlanta Hawks).
Below is the list of voting totals for the 2015-16 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award:
2015-16 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award voting totals
Below is the list of winners of the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award:
All-Time Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award Winners
2012-13: Chauncey Billups, L.A. Clippers
2013-14: Shane Battier, Miami
2014-15: Tim Duncan, San Antonio
2015-16: Vince Carter, Memphis
About Jack Twyman:
A Pittsburgh native, Twyman’s NBA career included six All-Star Game selections and two All-NBA Second Team nods. A prolific scorer, Twyman was runner-up in the scoring race twice, including in 1959-60, when he averaged a career-high 31.2 points. He retired in 1966 as the 20th all-time leading scorer. After his playing career, he worked as an NBA analyst for ABC. Twyman starred at the University of Cincinnati, where he averaged 17.8 points and 13.8 rebounds.
About Maurice Stokes:
Also a Pittsburgh native, Stokes was one of the first African-American players to star at the collegiate and professional levels. At 6-7, 250 pounds, he possessed the talent and athleticism to play every position on the court. He led St. Francis College (Pennsylvania) to the Final Four of the 1955 National Invitation Tournament before embarking on his NBA career. The second overall selection of the 1955 NBA Draft by the Rochester Kings, Stokes won the 1955-56 Rookie of the Year Award and earned All-Star berths in each of his three NBA seasons before suffering his career-ending injury.
About the Embassy of Hope Foundation:
The Embassy of Hope (EOH) is a non-profit foundation established in 1998 by Vince Carter of the Memphis Grizzlies. The foundation’s mission is to help address the needs of children and their parents. “Believing in Your Dreams”, the foundation’s slogan, represents Vince’s lifelong commitment to perseverance and achievement – qualities that have enabled him to excel as an athlete and as a person committed to helping those less fortunate. The values embodied in a winning attitude are important to Vince, and he wants to share them with others. Whether it’s on the court, in the classroom as a speaker or one-on-one as a mentor, Vince continues to encourage children to work hard so that they, too, may have a chance to experience the same joy of accomplishment and success that he has – both on and off the court. Since 1998, the Embassy of Hope Foundation has donated over 1.7 million dollars in the United States and Canada to those in need of its support.