Thunder Rumblings

Thunder-Mavericks: Will a NBA Sportsmanship Award winner stem the tide of bad blood flowing in this first-round series?

Posted May 3, 2012 by Michael Sherman Comment on this article Leave a comment
during Game 2 of the first round in the NBA basketball playoffs between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Monday, April 30, 2012. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
during Game 2 of the first round in the NBA basketball playoffs between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Monday, April 30, 2012. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman

 

Here’s an announcement that just might stem the tide of bad blood flowing in the Thunder-Mavericks series:

Dallas point guard Jason Kidd is the winner of the 2011-2012 NBA Sportsmanship Award.

The award  is given to a player who makes a significant off-court contributions, so David Stern won’t be snatching the Joe Dumars Trophy away from Kidd tonight if, for example, he pushes Russell Westbrook. But that would be out of character for one of the league’s wise heads and for someone who earned this award for his work through The Jason Kidd Foundation. His group is credited with improving education among the youth through mentoring and technology programs.

Kidd was one of six regional nominees for the award. Here’s the five other nominees. See if you can find the one who, ahem, doesn’t always comport himself in a sporting way on the court: Shane Battier, Miami; Antwan Jamison, Cleveland; Luke Ridnour, Minnesota; Jeremy Lin, New York; and Chris Paul, L.A. Clipppers.

 

 

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