Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley is the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy presented to the 2015-16 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner, the NBA announced today. Conley, who previously won the award in 2013-14, joins Grant Hill (three) and Jason Kidd (two) as multiple winners since the award’s inception in the 1995-96 season. Conley and General Manager Chris Wallace will be available to the media before Sunday’s game at 10:45 a.m. in the Main Interview Room at FedExForum.
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 NBA Cares program. The trophy is named for former Detroit Pistons guard and Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, the award’s first recipient, in 1995-96. Conley will be presented the Joe Dumars Trophy in a pregame presentation on the main court before tomorrow’s Game 4 tip-off at 12 p.m.
“I’m humbled to be recognized by the league again for an award that celebrates more than just winning on the court,” said Conley. “This award is more than a trophy – I’m able to celebrate it with my family, who helped instill the values of teamwork, as well as with my coaches, teammates and all of Grizz Nation.”
Conley (Southwest) was one of six divisional winners, joining the Toronto Raptors’ Luis Scola (Atlantic), the Chicago Bulls’ Pau Gasol (Central), the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard (Northwest), the Golden State Warriors’ Shaun Livingston (Pacific) and 2014-15 winner Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks (Southeast). The NBA will make a $10,000 donation on behalf of Conley to his charity of choice, Methodist Healthcare Foundation, with the money earmarked for the Methodist Sickle Cell Center.
Sportsmanship Award Press Conference
for each first-place vote, nine points for each second-place vote, seven points for each third-place vote, five points for each fourth-place vote, three points for each fifth-place vote and one point for each sixth-place vote.
Each team nominated one of its players for the award. The six divisional winners from among 30 team nominees were selected by Mike Bantom, NBA Executive Vice President, Referee Operations; Kiki VanDeWeghe, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations; Roger Mason, NBPA Deputy Executive Director; and NBA Cares Ambassadors Jason Collins and Bob Lanier, a Hall of Fame center.
Besides the donation to the Methodist Healthcare Foundation for the Methodist Sickle Cell Center on behalf of Conley, the NBA will make $5,000 donations to the other five divisional winners’ charities of choice: MLSE Foundation (specifically MLSE LaunchPad) for Scola; Gasol Foundation for Gasol; Self Enhancement Inc. for Lillard; Boys & Girls Club of Oakland for Livingston; and Helping Hand Rescue Mission for Korver.
Below are the voting totals for the 2015-16 NBA Sportsmanship Award:
2015-16 NBA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD VOTING TOTALS
NBA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD ALL-TIME WINNERS 1995-96
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