(April 4, 2007) - The NBA announced Wednesday that Toronto’s Anthony Parker has been selected by a five-member panel of former players as the divisional winner of the 2006-07 NBA Sportsmanship Award. Joining Parker as the other divisional winners are Atlanta’s Joe Johnson, Chicago’s Luol Deng, Houston’s Shane Battier, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Elton Brand, and Utah’s Derek Fisher.

The NBA Sportsmanship Award, designed to honour a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court, is voted on by NBA players. The winner will be announced after the regular season.

The 2006-07 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner will be presented with the Joe Dumars Trophy, named after the Hall of Famer and former Detroit Pistons great who played 14 seasons in the NBA and was the recipient of the inaugural NBA Sportsmanship Award in 1996. The six-time All-Star was selected in honour of his distinguished and dignified career and for symbolizing the tradition the NBA wants to recognize with this award.

Former NBA players Mike Bantom, Eddie Johnson, Tom "Satch" Sanders, Kenny Smith and the 2000-2001 Sportsmanship Award recipient Steve Smith, selected the six divisional winners from a pool of 30 team nominees. Each team nominated one of its own players for this award.

The annual award reflects the ideals of sportsmanship -- ethical behavior, fair play and integrity -- in amateur and professional basketball, a key focus of the league’s Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA grassroots youth basketball program.

Parker, 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, joined the Raptors this summer after six impressive seasons overseas, including five with Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was named Euroleague MVP and first-team All-Euroleague in 2005 and 2006. He was also named 2004 Euroleague Final Four MVP.

Parker is averaging 11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 66 games, all starts, with the Raptors this season.

Following is a list of the all-time winners of the NBA Sportsmanship award:

ALL-TIME NBA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD WINNERS

Inaugural: Joe Dumars (1996)
1996-1997: Terrell Brandon, Cleveland
1997-1998: Avery Johnson, San Antonio
1998-1999: Hersey Hawkins, Seattle
1999-2000: Eric Snow, Philadelphia
2000-2001: David Robinson, San Antonio
2001-2002: Steve Smith, San Antonio
2002-2003: Ray Allen, Seattle
2003-2004: P.J. Brown, New Orleans
2004-2005: Grant Hill, Orlando
2005-2006: Elton Brand, Los Angeles