Mike Conley Wins 2015-16 NBA Sportsmanship Award

The Memphis Grizzlies announced on Saturday that point guard Mike Conley has won the Joe Dumars Trophy for the NBA's 2015-16 Sportsmanship Award. He joins Jason Kidd and Grant Hill as the only players to win the award multiple times since its inception in the 1995-96 season.

Conley exhibited what was described by the Grizzlies official website as the "ideals of sportsmanship—ethical behavior, fair play and integrity," on his way to earning the award.

He spoke with the team's official website after learning that he was named the winner:

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I’m humbled to be recognized by the league again for an award that celebrates more than just winning on the court. This award is more than a trophy – I’m able to celebrate it with my family, who helped instill the values of teamwork, as well as with my coaches, teammates and all of Grizz Nation.

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Each team nominates one player for this award, and from there, a divisional winner was chosen by NBA Executive Vice President of Referee Operations Mike Bantom, NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Kiki VanDeWeghe, NBPA Deputy Executive Director Roger Mason and NBA Cares Ambassadors Jason Collins and Bob Lanier. 

NBA players then voted for the winner, as Conley beat out Luis Scola of the Toronto Raptors, Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Shaun Livingston of the Golden State Warriors and last year's winner, Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks. 

Conley, who averaged over 15 points per game for a third-straight season, is currently nursing an Achilles injury, one that has kept him off of the court since January and is expected to keep him out of the entire playoffs.

It looks like Memphis' postseason is drawing to a close rather soon anyway as they trail the San Antonio Spurs 3-0 in their Western Conference first-round series. 

Regardless of his numbers or his team's success, it's the ultimate sign of respect for Conley that players and executives around the league look at him as the gold standard when it comes to sportsmanship.  

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com