Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams is one of 12 players nominated for the 2018-19 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, the NBA announced on Monday.
The award recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players and commitment and dedication to his team.
Introduced during the 2012-13 season, the award is named after teammates Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes from the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals during the 1950s.
Stokes became paralyzed after suffering a head injury from a fall during a game. Twyman became the legal guardian for Stokes following the fall until Stokes died in 1970.
Chauncey Billups won the inaugural award as Shane Battier, Tim Duncan, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki and Jamal Crawford followed Billups in winning the award.
NBA players will decide the winner as the nominee with the highest point total accumulated will be crowned the winner. The NBA will make a $25,000 donation to the charity of the winner’s choice.
While Adams has become one of the toughest players in the NBA, he has also known to be a team player that often does the dirty that doesn’t necessarily show up in the box score.
Past teammates have often raved about Adams and the type of player that he is off of the court so it may not be a surprise to some that Adams is up for the award this year.
Serge Ibaka was also up for the award in 2013.
