Philadelphia 76ers’ breakout star Tyrese Maxey was named the winner of the NBA’s 2023-2024 Sportsmanship Award on Thursday. The annual award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.” Maxey is just the second player in Sixers’ franchise history to receive the honor, following Eric Snow in the 1999-2000 season.
The award is just one more addition to Maxey’s accolades received this season. In October, Maxey received his first Eastern Conference Player of the Week nod, and in March, he was selected to his first All-Star game. Of course, late last month, the 23-year-old was also named the league’s Most Improved Player for leading the Sixers to the playoffs during Joel Embiid’s extended absence.
Maxey’s parents surprised him with the Joe Dumars Trophy during a visit home to Dallas. When his dad asked what the award meant to him, Maxey responded, “It means a lot…I go out there and play extremely hard, but at the end of the day, I always respect my teammates and competitors.”
Each year, every team nominates one of their own players for the award, before a panel of league executives select one finalist from each division and ultimately selecting a winner. This year, the other five finalists were Jarrett Allen of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tre Jones of the San Antonio Spurs, and Kevin Love of the Miami Heat.
