Celtics guard Derrick White earns NBA Sportsmanship Award
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Boston — Derrick White of the Boston Celtics has been selected by his peers as the NBA’s 2025-26 Sportsmanship Award winner, the league announced Tuesday.
The seventh-year guard received 20% of the first-place votes cast by 386 players, edging Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, who captured nearly 22% of first-place ballots but finished second in overall voting. San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes placed third, while Golden State Warriors center Al Horford was fourth; both earned 19% of the top selections. Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (11%) finished fifth, and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the lone repeat finalist — was sixth with just under 10%.
White will be presented with the Joe Dumars Trophy, named for the Hall of Famer who won the inaugural honor in 1996 and now oversees basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans.
All 30 NBA clubs nominate one player for the annual award, designed to recognize fair play, integrity and respect on the court. A panel then trims the list to six finalists, one from each division, before players vote on the winner.
Recent league awards
The Sportsmanship Award is the fourth postseason honor unveiled since the regular season ended:
- Defensive Player of the Year: San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama, 22, became the youngest recipient and the first unanimous winner.
- Clutch Player of the Year: Gilgeous-Alexander captured 96 of 100 first-place votes.
- Sixth Man of the Year: Spurs forward Keldon Johnson finished ahead of Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. with 63 first-place votes.
The league will announce Most Improved Player on Friday, choosing among Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Portland’s Deni Avdija and Detroit’s Jalen Duren. Dates have not been set for MVP, Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
Source: ESPN
