Tyrese Maxey wins 2023-24 NBA Sportsmanship Award
Tyrese Maxey already earned the Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award while also being named to his first NBA All-Star Game. Now, he can add the Joe Dumars Trophy to his growing list of accolades and hardware.
Known for his talent on the floor and character away from it, the former Kentucky star has won the 2023-24 NBA Sportsmanship Award, his first time earning the honor and second Philadelphia 76er to win it, joining Eric Snow in 1999-00.
Presented annually since the 1995-96 season, the NBA Sportsmanship Award honors a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. The trophy is named for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time NBA champion Joe Dumars, who won the inaugural NBA Sportsmanship Award and played his entire 14-year career with the Detroit Pistons.
Maxey’s prestigious honor comes after being nominated by the Sixers, one of 30 team nominees — one player nominated per franchise. From there, a panel of league executives selected one finalist from each of the NBA’s six divisions with the winner ultimately picked by current NBA players. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder was also a finalist, joining the likes of Kevin Love of the Miami Heat, Jarrett Allen of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings and Tre Jones of the San Antonio Spurs.
Maxey earned 2,545 total votes with 91 first-place votes to lead the field.
Maxey’s parents surprised him with the Joe Dumars Trophy at their home this week.
“It means a lot. Sportsmanship means a lot to me, I go out there and play extremely hard but I still respect all my teammates and competitors,” Maxey said. “You always have to show respect to them, so this means a lot to me. You guys taught me a lot, too, taught me to play the game I love with a lot of passion, but at the end of the day, win, lose or draw, you’ve got to respect your competitors and the guys you’re playing against.”
Maxey emerged as a bonafide star this past season in Philadelphia, averaging a career-high 25.9 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 37.5 minutes per contest for the 76ers. As Joel Embiid grows older and injuries continue to pile up, the former Wildcat is in line to take over as the face of the franchise sooner rather than later.
Earning this prestigious honor isn’t a bad step in the right direction.
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