Originally presented following the 1995-96 season, the Sportsmanship Award honors a player who exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court -- ethical behavior, fair play and integrity. The trophy is named for former Detroit Pistons guard and Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, the award’s first recipient.

Deng, also a Central Division nominee for the 2005-06 season, was one of six divisional winners, including Atlanta’s Joe Johnson (Southeast), Houston’s Shane Battier (Southwest), the Los Angeles Clippers’ Elton Brand (Pacific), Toronto’s Anthony Parker (Atlantic) and Utah’s Derek Fisher (Northwest). Brand won the award in 2005-06.

The NBA will donate $25,000 on behalf of Luol Deng to Pacific Garden Mission, which is the oldest continuously-operating rescue mission in the country. The NBA will donate another $10,000 each to the divisional winners’ charities of choice: Toronto Raptors Foundation on behalf of Parker; Boys and Girls Club in Little Rock, Ark. on behalf of Johnson; Boys and Girls Club of Houston on behalf of Shane Battier; Fisher Fellows of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and C.A.M.P. Inc of Peekskill, N.Y. on Brand’s behalf.

For the third consecutive year, NBA players voted on this award, with eleven points given for each first-place vote, nine points for each second-place vote, seven points for third, five points for fourth, three points for fifth and one point for each sixth place vote received. Each team nominated one of its players for this award, then former NBA stars Mike Bantom, Eddie Johnson, Tom "Satch" Sanders, Kenny Smith and the 2000-01 Sportsmanship Award recipient Steve Smith, selected the six divisional winners from a pool of 30 team nominees.

Attached is a list of this year’s voting totals and all-time winners of the NBA Sportsmanship Award:

2006-07 NBA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD VOTING TOTALS

Player	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	Points
Luol Deng, Chicago	52	69	48	62	53	29	2027
Shane Battier, Houston	65	58	59	38	36	57	2005
Derek Fisher, Utah	58	55	51	55	47	47	1953
Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers	50	49	66	57	53	38	1935
Joe Johnson, Atlanta	47	45	43	52	64	62	1737
Anthony Parker, Toronto	41	37	46	49	60	80	1611

ALL-TIME NBA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD WINNERS

Inaugural:	Joe Dumars (1996)	2001-02:	Steve Smith, San Antonio
1996-97:	Terrell Brandon, Cleveland	2002-03:	Ray Allen, Seattle
1997-98:	Avery Johnson, San Antonio	2003-04:	P.J. Brown, New Orleans
1998-99:	Hersey Hawkins, Seattle	2004-05:	Grant Hill, Orlando
1999-2000:	Eric Snow, Philadelphia	2005-06:	Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers
2000-2001:	David Robinson, San Antonio	2006-07:	Luol Deng, Chicago