Jalen Brunson named a finalist for Sportsmanship Award

The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson has been announced as one of the six finalist for the NBA Sportsmanship Award, an award given annually to the player who most “...exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court with ethical behavior, fair play, and integrity.”

Joining runson are the Heat’s Bam Adebayo, the Kings’ Harrison Barnes, the Grizzlies’ Mike Conley (who has won the award a whopping three times), the Cavaliers’ Darius Garland, and the Rockets’ Boban Marjonovic. The league asks each team to nominate one of it’s players, and from these nominees, one player from each division is selected by a panel.

Following the end of the regular season, players in the league will cast votes and a winner is usually awarded towards the end of April. If Brunson were to win it, he would be the just the second Knick ever to win the award, and the first one since Jason Kidd won it in 2012-13. With Brunson, who missed out on his first All-Star selection earlier this year, seeking some tough competition for the Most Improved Player award, it would be nice to see him get some kind of hardware, even if it is for what many would consider a lesser award.