NBA award season is still in full swing, with Milwaukee Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday winning the 2020-21 NBA Sportsmanship Award this past week.
Congratulations, @Jrue_Holiday11!! pic.twitter.com/1ujUYOnBJt
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) June 4, 2021
“It means a lot,” Holiday said after receiving the Joe Dumars Trophy, which is given to the NBA player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. “Just knowing that it came from the players, the guys that go through this with me and put their bodies on the line, train in the offseason, it means a lot.”
Holiday received 130 of 343 first-place votes and was one of six finalists selected by a panel of NBA executives after all teams nominated a player from their rosters. The award honors a player who best represents sportsmanship on the court.
The other finalists included two-time winner Kemba Walker (Boston Celtics); Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat); Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings); Derrick White (San Antonio Spurs); and Josh Okogie (Minnesota Timberwolves).
The NBA Sportsmanship Award honors Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, a six-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion. Dumars, who spent all 14 seasons of his career with the Detroit Pistons, won the first Sportsmanship Award after the 1995-96 season.
Holiday, a 12-year veteran that’s long been known to be well-respected by his peers and community, donated a portion of his 2019-20 salary to form the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund. His foundation funded close to $1 million in grants for African American-owned businesses and other African American organizations in the Milwaukee, New Orleans, Indianapolis and Los Angeles areas.
The 30-year-old won the Twyman-Stokes award as the league’s best teammate last year. This past week, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers was selected as the award winner.
