Shane Battier wins NBA Teammate of the Year award
The Miami Heat have announced that small forward Shane Battier has won the NBA Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year. As a result, the NBA will donate $25,000 to the Battier’s Take Charge Foundation.
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For those unaware, the award is given to the NBA player “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model.” The voters that decided the winner of the award are other NBA players.
According to Ira Winderman, Battier received 1,322 points in total, with 67 first-place votes. Trailing him were Al Jefferson of the Charlotte Bobcats and Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks.
While this is not a Sixth Man of the Year or an MVP award, it is still a nice recognition. Battier has always acted like a true professional both on and off the court, and if you have ever seen any of his interviews, he is very intelligent and well-spoken. Even though he has played less minutes this season, he never complains and has fully embraced whatever role he is given.
Here is the origin of the award, courtesy of ESPN:
"The award is named for Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes, linked by what happened in the final game of the 1957-58 regular season, when Stokes suffered a brain injury. Stokes was paralyzed, and Twyman supported him for the remainder of his life — even becoming his legal guardian and advocate.(via ESPN)"
This is only the second year the award has been given out. Chauncey Billups won it last year, and Battier came second.