Annual basketball award
The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual
basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top men's and women's
collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of Dr.
James Naismith , the inventor of
basketball .
History and selection
First awarded exclusively to male players in 1969, the award was expanded to include female players in 1983. Annually before the college season begins in November, a "watchlist" consisting of 50 players is chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club board of selectors, comprising head coaches, administrators and media members from across the United States. By February, the list of nominees is narrowed down to 30 players based on performance. In March, four out of the 30 players are selected as finalists and are placed in the final ballot. The final winners are selected in April by both the board of selectors and fan voting via
text messaging .
[1]
[2] The winners receive the Naismith Trophy.
Since its beginning in 1969, the trophy has been awarded to 44 male players and 24 female players.
Lew Alcindor of the
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and
Anne Donovan of
Old Dominion University were the first winners, respectively.
Bill Walton of UCLA,
Ralph Sampson of the
University of Virginia , and
Zach Edey of
Purdue have been the only men to win this award multiple times, with the former two players winning three times and Edey winning it twice. Nine women in all have won this award multiple times.
Cheryl Miller of the
University of Southern California and
Breanna Stewart of the
University of Connecticut (UConn) are the only three-time winners, while eight others have won it twice:
Clarissa Davis of the
University of Texas ,
Dawn Staley of the
University of Virginia ,
Chamique Holdsclaw of the
University of Tennessee ,
Diana Taurasi and
Maya Moore of UConn,
Seimone Augustus of
Louisiana State University ,
Brittney Griner of
Baylor University , and
Caitlin Clark of the
University of Iowa . Davis and Moore are the only players of either sex to have won multiple times in non-consecutive years.
Three award winners, two men and one woman, were born in United States territories:
The only award winners who have been born outside the
jurisdiction of the United States were:
Andrew Bogut , born in
Melbourne ,
Australia .
Patrick Ewing, born in
Kingston ,
Jamaica .
Buddy Hield, born in
Freeport ,
Bahamas .
Oscar Tshiebwe , born in
Lubumbashi ,
DR Congo .
Zach Edey , born in
Toronto ,
Ontario ,
Canada .
Six of these players were developed at least partially in the U.S. proper—Lee was raised in
Harlem from early childhood; Ewing immigrated to the
Boston area at age 12; Boston moved to
Worcester, Massachusetts at the same age; Hield attended high school in suburban
Wichita, Kansas ; Tshiebwe attended high schools in
southwestern Virginia and
western Pennsylvania ; and Edey spent his last two high school years in
Florida . Duncan did not move to the U.S. proper until he arrived at
Wake Forest University , and Bogut lived in Australia until his arrival at the
University of Utah .
Duke has had the most male winners with eight, while
UConn has had the most female winners, with eleven awards won by seven individuals. The award has been won by a freshman four times:
Kevin Durant playing for
Texas in 2007, in 2012 by
Anthony Davis of
Kentucky ,
Zion Williamson of
Duke in 2019, and
Paige Bueckers of
UConn in 2021.
Winners
Men
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Bill Walton
David Robinson
Kevin Durant was the first freshman to win
Obi Toppin
Luka Garza
Women
Anne Donovan
Cheryl Miller was the first player to win the award more than once.
Breanna Stewart won the award three times
Paige Bueckers was the first freshman to win the women's award
Notes
^ Unlike all other Naismith winners enshrined in the Hall of Fame, Lobo is not enshrined as a player, but rather as a contributor.
[22]
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g The University of Connecticut used "Connecticut" as its official athletic brand until 2013–14.
See also
References
^
"Naismith Trophy Fact Sheet" . Naismith Awards. Archived from
the original on February 4, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2010 .
^
"The Naismith Trophy History" . Naismith Awards. Archived from
the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2010 .
^
"Scout.com: Redick Wins Naismith Award" . Duke.scout.com. April 3, 2006. Archived from
the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2010 .
^
"Kevin Durant Wins 2007 Naismith Award – Big 12 Conference – Official Athletic Site" . Big12sports.com. April 2, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2010 .
^
"Press Release – April 6, 2008" . Atlantatipoffclub.com. Retrieved April 5, 2010 . [
permanent dead link ]
^
"Blake Griffin Claims Naismith Trophy, NABC and Newell Awards – Big 12 Conference – Official Athletic Site" . Big12sports.com. March 20, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2010 .
^ Baptist, Bob.
"OSU men's basketball: Turner wins Naismith Trophy | BuckeyeXtra" . Dispatch.com. Archived from
the original on April 7, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2010 .
^
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2019-04-07/zion-williamson-wins-naismith-trophy-2019-most-outstanding
^
a
b
"Ionescu and Toppin Named 2020 Citizen Naismith Trophy Winners" (Press release). Atlanta Tipoff Club. April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020 .
^
"Iowa's Luka Garza named 2021 Naismith Trophy winner" . NCAA.com . April 3, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021 .
^
"Cooley, SEC's Tshiebwe, Kessler Named 2022 Men's Naismith Awards Winners" (Press release). Atlanta Tipoff Club. April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022 .
^
"Naismith Trophy Postseason Awards" . Peach State Basketball . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
a
b
c
"Pac-12 Player of the Century Cheryl Miller Leads Trojan-Studded Pac-12 All-Century Womens Basketball Team" . www.usctrojans.com . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^ iThemesLab.
"Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil - Women's Basketball Hall of Fame" . www.wbhof.com .
Archived from the original on 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"ST. FRANCIS (NY) COACH SUE WICKS: INTERNATIONAL NBA ENVOY" . www.sfc.edu . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"Articles about Naismith Award - latimes" . articles.latimes.com . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"University of San Francisco Dons Athletics - 2014-15 Women's Basketball Coaching Staff" . www.usfdons.com . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
a
b
"Dawn Staley to be Honored With UVa's Distinguished Alumna Award" . www.virginiasports.com . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"Sheryl Swoopes elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame" . Hoopfeed.com . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"Trojan Great Lisa Leslie Named To Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame" . www.usctrojans.com . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^ jjackson.
"1995 NCAA Woman of the Year" . NCAA.org - The Official Site of the NCAA . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"Hall of Famers: Rebecca Lobo" . Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from
the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2020 .
^
"Saudia Roundtree Bio - UCF Knights - Official Athletics Site" . www.ucfknights.com . Archived from
the original on 2016-04-23. Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"Kate Starbird, former basketball star, chooses a different route — as usual" . The Seattle Times . 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
a
b
"Inside Chamique Holdsclaw: From Basketball Super Star to Mental Health Activist" . Buzzflash . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"Tamika Catchings continues to build legacy after Lady Vols career" . The Daily Beacon . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"Ruth Riley Named Naismith Player of the Year" . www.und.com . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
Congressional Record V. 148, Pt. 4, April 11, 2002 to April 24, 2002 . Government Printing Office.
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
"UConn's Breanna Stewart named 2016 Women's Naismith Trophy winner" . NCAA.com . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
a
b
"Seimone Augustus Bio" . LSUsports.net . Archived from
the original on 2016-04-16. Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"Harding takes home Naismith NPOY award" . The Duke Chronicle . Archived from
the original on 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"Candace Parker Wins 2008 Naismith Trophy" . www.utsports.com . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^ Courant, Hartford.
"Tina Charles Wins Naismith Award" . courant.com . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"Baylor University || Baylor Nation || News" . www.baylor.edu . Archived from
the original on 2016-02-17. Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"Griner Wins Second Straight Naismith Trophy" . www.baylorbears.com . Retrieved 2016-04-05 .
^
"South Carolina's A'ja Wilson wins Naismith Women's Basketball Player of the Year Award" . www.ncaa.com . Retrieved 1 April 2018 .
^
"2019 Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy and Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Both Claimed by Iowa" (Press release). Atlanta Tipoff Club. April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019 .
^
"UConn freshman Paige Bueckers named 2021 Naismith Trophy winner" . NCAA.com . April 3, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021 .
^
"Clark and Staley Repeat as 2024 Naismith Award Winners; Brink Claims Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Honors" (Press release). Atlanta Tipoff Club. April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024 .
External links
U.S. men's college basketball awards
Player awards
Head coach awards
National coaches of the year Conference coaches of the year
Division awards Other awards
U.S. women's college basketball awards
Player awards
National players of the year Conference players of the year
Head coach awards
National coaches of the year Conference coaches of the year
Other awards