Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey was named the 2023-24 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner on Thursday. Maxey, 23, is receiving the Joe Dumars Trophy just weeks after winning his first NBA Most Improved Player Award.
Presented since 1995-96, the NBA Sportsmanship Award honors the player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. That includes “ethical behavior, fair play, and integrity.”
All 30 NBA teams nominate one of their players for the award, and then a panel of six league executives selects one finalist from each of the league’s six divisions. Active NBA players decide the winner from a list of six finalists.
Maxey received 91 first-place votes and 2,545 total points. Kevin Love (Miami Heat) finished second, followed by Jarrett Allen (Cleveland Cavaliers), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings), and Tre Jones (San Antonio Spurs).
Since 2000, winners have been presented with a trophy named after Joe Dumars, the award’s inaugural recipient who played for the Detroit Pistons.
His No. 4 jersey was retired by the Pistons in March 2000. Dumars is the only Pistons player to ever wear this number since the team moved to Detroit.
The award has been presented annually since the 1995-96 season.
Tyrese Maxey is the first Philadelphia 76ers player to win the NBA Sportsmanship Award since Eric Snow in 2000
Mike Conley has won the award four times, the most in NBA history. Grant Hill has won it three times while Kemba Walker and Jason Kidd have both won it twice.
The Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies lead all other teams for the most award winners with three apiece.
Nine franchises have never had one of their players win the award: Boston Celtics, Heat, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards.
Furthermore, Maxey received his first All-Star selection in 2023-24 and averaged career highs of 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists in 70 games (all starts) in his fourth season with the Sixers. He also made a career-best 212 3-pointers.
The four-year veteran is the second 76er to win the Sportsmanship Award after guard Eric Snow (1999-2000).
In Philadelphia’s 127-124 victory against the Jazz on Feb. 1, the guard scored a career-high 51 points. He finished 17-of-27 (63%) shooting from the field, 7-of-9 (77.8%) from deep, and 10-of-11 (90.9%) at the foul line.
Tyrese Maxey finished the season as one of three players to put up three or more 50-point games during the season. He joined teammate Joel Embiid and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker.
Tyrese Maxey’s parents surprised him with the Joe Dumars Trophy as winner of the 2023-24 NBA Sportsmanship Award! 🫶 pic.twitter.com/74psGFkUFY
— NBA (@NBA) May 16, 2024
