Prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals between Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs tonight, the league will crown one individual as the Teammate of the Year. Named after Hall of Famers Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes, who played together on the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals from 1955 to 1958, the TOY award (fitting, no?) is, according to NBA.com's Steve Aschburner:
"...chosen from a vote of NBA players. Ballots featured 12 nominees, six from each conference selected by a panel of NBA Legends according to selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players and his commitment and dedication to his team."
This year, the nominees are:
Jerry Stackhouse, Brooklyn Nets
Luke Walton, Cleveland Cavaliers
Andre Igoudala, Denver Nuggets
Jarrett Jack, Golden State Warriors
Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers
Chauncey Billups, Los Angeles Clippers
Shane Battier, Miami Heat
Roger Mason, Jr., New Orleans Hornets
Jason Kidd, New York Knicks
Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Emeka Okafor, Washington Wizards
While this award is cool and all, why stop at handing out hardware to the best teammate? Can we start up a petition for Most Animated Bench Player? We got our money on these two guys.
RELATED: GIF Gallery: Overlying Excited NBA Benchwarmers
[via CBS Sports]
