The Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year is an annual award in the National Basketball Association (NBA) that recognizes the league's "ideal teammate" who exemplifies "selfless play and commitment and dedication to his team." The award is named after Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes. The two played together on the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals from 1955 to 1958 until Stokes' career was cut short after he suffered a head injury from a fall during a game against the Minneapolis Lakers. Stokes later became paralyzed due to post-traumatic encephalopathy, a brain injury that damages the motor-control center. Twyman then became Stokes' legal guardian and advocate until Stokes died in 1970.
Every year, 12 players, six from each conference, are nominated by a panel of NBA executives. NBA players then cast votes for the award, with ten points given for each first-place vote, seven for a second-place vote, five points for third, three points for fourth, and one point for each fifth-place vote received. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award. The NBA presents the winner with the Twyman–Stokes Trophy and gives a $25,000 donation to a charity of the recipient's choice.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups was the inaugural winner of the award in 2013. That year, Miami Heat forward Shane Battier finished second and New York Knicks guard Jason Kidd placed third.
Battier then won the award for the 2013–14 season. Al Jefferson came in second and Dirk Nowitzki finished third, who won in 2016–17 season, and only non-American and European awardee.
Tim Duncan won the award for the 2014–15 season. Vince Carter came in second and Elton Brand finished third. After coming in at second the previous year, Carter won the award for the 2015–16 season. Nowitzki is the only international player to win the award. The most recent winner is Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley.
Winners
| ^ | Denotes player who is still active in the NBA |
| * | Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| § | 1st time eligible for Hall of Fame in 2024 |
| Player (#) | Denotes the number of times the player has received the award |
| Team (#) | Denotes the number of times a player from this team has won |
| Season | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Chauncey Billups* | Guard |  United States
|
Los Angeles Clippers | |
| 2013–14 | Shane Battier | Forward |  United States
|
Miami Heat | |
| 2014–15 | Tim Duncan* | Forward/center | United States
|
San Antonio Spurs | |
| 2015–16 | Vince Carter* | Guard/forward | United States
|
Memphis Grizzlies | |
| 2016–17 | Dirk Nowitzki* | Forward |  Germany
|
Dallas Mavericks | |
| 2017–18 | Jamal Crawford | Guard/forward | United States
|
Minnesota Timberwolves | |
| 2018–19 | Mike Conley^ | Guard | United States
|
Memphis Grizzlies (2) | |
| 2019–20 | Jrue Holiday^ | Guard | United States
|
New Orleans Pelicans | |
| 2020–21 | Damian Lillard^ | Guard | United States
|
Portland Trail Blazers | |
| 2021–22 | Jrue Holiday^ (2) | Guard | United States
|
Milwaukee Bucks | |
| 2022–23 | Jrue Holiday^ (3) | Guard | United States
|
Milwaukee Bucks (2) | |
| 2023–24 | Mike Conley^ (2) | Guard | United States
|
Minnesota Timberwolves (2) |
Multi-time winners
| Awards | Player | Team | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Jrue Holiday |
New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks (2) | 2020, 2022, 2023 |
| 2 | Mike Conley |
Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves | 2019, 2024 |
See also
References
- ^ Aschburner, Steve (June 9, 2013). "NBA To Unveil Twyman–Stokes Teammate Of Year Award, Announce Winner Sunday". Hang Time Blog. NBA.com (Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.). Retrieved June 9, 2013.
- ^ "Billups Is Inaugural Winner Of Twyman/Stokes Teammate Award". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 9, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
- ^ "Heat's Shane Battier voted as NBA's top teammate". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 24, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
- "Dirk Nowitzki wins NBA teammate award – DW – 06/27/2017". dw.com. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
- ^ "Tim Duncan Wins 2014-15 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. August 19, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ "Vince Carter wins 2015-16 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 8, 2016. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ "NBA Awards 2017". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "NBA unveils redesigned trophies for end-of-season awards". National Basketball Association. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- "2024 Hall of Fame Candidates". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- Villas, Rexwell (June 26, 2018). "Jamal Crawford's Emotional Reaction To NBA Awards Night Hardware". ClutchPoints. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- Lowman, Mychal (June 24, 2019). "New Utah Jazzman Mike Conley wins the Twyman Stokes Teammate of the Year Award AND Sportsmanship Award". SLC Dunk. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- "Jrue Holiday wins 2019-20 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award". NBA.com. October 6, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- "Damian Lillard wins 2020-21 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award". NBA.com. June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- "Bucks' Jrue Holiday wins 2021-22 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award". NBA.com: NBA Communications. 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- "Jrue Holiday wins Teammate of the Year Award for third time". ESPN.com. May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- Stanton, Matt (May 1, 2024). "Minnesota Timberwolves Guard Mike Conley Named 2023-24 NBA Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year". NBA.com. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
External sources
- "Sports Trophies – Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award – Marc Mellon Sculpture Studio". 12 January 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
| NBA Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year | |
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