Recognized for his love and respect for the game, Nets guard Patty Mills has won the 2021-22 NBA Sportsmanship Award.
After being nominated by his team for the award, Mills was then selected as one of six finalists by a panel of league executives at the end of March.
From there, current NBA players chose the winner from the field of six, with almost 300 players casting their votes through confidential balloting done by the league office.
For every first-place vote received, that player was awarded 11 points. Players were then awarded nine points for each second-place vote, seven points for each third-place vote, five points for each fourth-place vote, three points for each fifth-place vote and one point for every sixth-place vote.
Mills received a total of 1,975 points, tallying 58 first-place votes, narrowly beating out Denver Nuggets forward Jeff Green who got 1,841 points (60 first-place votes) and finished in second.
The 13-year veteran from Australia will not only be awarded with the Joe Dumars Trophy, he will also receive a special edition 75th Anniversary commemorative trophy in celebration of the honor.
The commemorative trophy, composed of a solid crystal basketball, features the NBA 75 logo 3D laser etched and suspended within its center.
In his first year in Brooklyn, Mills averaged 11.4 points, 2.3 assists and 29.0 minutes playing in all 81 games for the Nets. It’s the first time either Mills or any Nets player has won the award.
The 33-year-old was also not issued a technical foul all season and in 820 career games spanning 13 seasons with the Nets, San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers, Mills has been assessed just two technicals.
The NBA Sportsmanship Award trophy is named in honor of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, a six-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion. Dumars played 14 NBA seasons and won the inaugural Sportsmanship Award in the 1995-96 season.
