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CLEVELAND – NBA players have selected Memphis Grizzlies guard Vince Carter as the recipient of the 2015-16 Grizzlies’ Vince Carter wins 2015-16 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award TWYMAN-STOKES Teammate of the Year Award, the NBA announced today. As part of its support for the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, the NBA will make a $25,000 donation to Carter’s Embassy of Hope Foundation, which assists organizations and individuals in improving the quality of life for children.
Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes, whose storied friendship transcended their Hall of Fame accomplishments, are honored with an annual NBA award in their names that recognizes the ideal teammate. Twyman and Stokes were teammates on the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals from 1955-58. In the last game of the 1957-58 regular season, Stokes suffered an injury that led to his falling into a coma days later and becoming permanently paralyzed. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic encephalopathy, a brain injury that damaged his motor-control center. Stokes was supported for the rest of his life by Twyman, who became his legal guardian and advocate.
Twyman helped organize the NBA’s Maurice Stokes Memorial Basketball Game, which raised funds for Stokes’ medical care and, after Stokes’ death in 1970 at age 36, for other players in need. In 2004, after years of lobbying by Twyman, Stokes was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Twyman, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983, died in 2012.
Along with Carter, Garnett and Bosh, the other finalists for the 2015-16 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award were Ryan Anderson (New Orleans Pelicans), Caron Butler (Sacramento Kings), Jose Calderon (New York Knicks), Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Festus Ezeli (Golden State), James Jones (Cleveland), Andre Miller (San Antonio), Luis Scola (Toronto Raptors) and Marvin Williams (Charlotte Hornets).
Below is the list of voting totals for the 2015-16 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award:
2015-16 TWYMAN-STOKES TEAMMATE OF THE YEAR AWARD VOTING TOTALS
Player, Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Points
Vince Carter, Memphis 65 61 45 39 29 1,448
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota 39 34 27 44 21 916
Chris Bosh, Miami 18 49 31 29 34 799
Andre Miller, San Antonio 25 39 25 32 33 777
Caron Butler, Sacramento 19 28 41 45 31 757
Ryan Anderson, New Orleans 26 33 25 30 25 731
Jose Calderon, New York 25 19 39 19 24 659
Marvin Williams, Charlotte 33 12 17 21 50 612
Luis Scola, Toronto 28 15 20 11 10 528
James Jones, Cleveland 15 17 22 22 17 462
Festus Ezeli, Golden State 22 9 11 19 24 419
Andre Drummond, Detroit 12 11 24 16 29 394
Below is the list of winners of the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award:
ALL-TIME TWYMAN-STOKES TEAMMATE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
2012-13: Chauncey Billups, L.A. Clippers 2013-14: Shane Battier, Miami 2014-15: Tim Duncan, San Antonio 2015-16: Vince Carter, Memphis
ABOUT JACK TWYMAN: A Pittsburgh native, Twyman’s NBA career included six All-Star Game selections and two All-NBA Second Team nods. A prolific scorer, Twyman was runner-up in the scoring race twice, including in 1959-60, when he averaged a career-high 31.2 points. He retired in 1966 as the 20th all-time leading scorer. After his playing career, he worked as an NBA analyst for ABC.
