The Twyman-Stokes NBA Teammate of the Year Award isn’t one of the league’s biggest awards.
It is one of the most significant.
The NBA says the award is given to “the player considered the best teammate based on his unselfish play, his leadership on and off the court as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and his commitment and dedication to the team.
This award is rooted in humanity, compassion, selflessness and the desire to help those around you become the best person and player you can be.
The award is named for Maurice Stokes and Jack Tywman, teammates on the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals from 1955 to 1958. Stokes suffered an injury on the field, was paralyzed and was diagnosed with post-traumatic encephalopathy. Twyman became Stokes’ legal guardian and supported him until Stokes’ death in 1970.
This is one of my favorite NBA awards. This season, Minnesota Timberwolves starting point guard Mike Conley won the award for the second time. Winning once is an honor. Winning twice highlights the player’s character even more.
I spoke to Conley, whose Timberwolves face the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, TNT), about the award and what it means. The questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
USA TODAY: What does it mean to be a good teammate and what does it entail?
Conley: It’s part of my personality more than anything – the way I was raised, the way I treat people. My way of leading is to do a bunch of different things. This could be by leading by example, speaking clearly, taking a guy out to eat when he’s in a crisis, or just really checking in on people to make sure they’re okay. Ultimately, guys take away from the fact that I put them above me at all times, and it’s obvious that guys like being around people like that.
USA TODAY: You talked about your upbringing. What happened when you were growing up to make you know that there’s more to it than just going out and making buckets and passing the ball and playing defense?
Conley: It starts with my parents (Mike Sr. and Regina). They are the ones who guided me, pushed me and gave me the role model on how to do things from a very young age. I’ve been playing basketball since I was 3 or 4 years old, and I was in games in elementary school and it could be co-ed, where you have girls on your team, all that, and I’m the best player. on the court, and I’m just like, “How can I give this girl a layup if she doesn’t really like basketball?” I felt like she would have more fun if she could shoot or if this person could shoot. I just found ways to use my talent to try to benefit other people from their experience in the field.
USA TODAY: As I understand it, kindness, compassion and understanding, and even if that means addressing one guy a little differently than another player, are part of your approach.
Conley: The most important thing is to have empathy. I put myself in everyone’s shoes to the best of my knowledge. Obviously we all grew up differently, come from different areas, have seen different things, so I try to break that down with each guy. How to talk to Rudy Gobert? He comes from another country (France). How did he grow up? I don’t know. How can I talk to Ant (Anthony Edwards)? He’s from Georgia, and how can I talk to him differently than KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns)? So everyone has their things and they may be spoken to in different ways or directed in different ways, and I just have the ability to recognize that with each person and make a connection with everyone.
USA TODAY: What were your first thoughts when you learned you had won the Twyman-Stokes Prize?
Conley: I was surprised, and still am for some reason. I never expect anything. Honestly, no. I don’t expect credit, I don’t expect any reward. To me, getting one of this nature and magnitude means so much more than the game, so much more than basketball. It means the kind of person you are, the kind of gamer you are, the kind of compassion you have, the kind of competitive nature you have towards the game and how you can effectively change the people around you for the game. better and have a positive attitude. impact on people.
USA TODAY: This is the second time you have won this award. How well do you know the story?
Conley: It was incredibly touching to see. It means so much more than this game. You just see the love and passion he (Twyman) has towards another human being, not even a blood relative or anything like that, but someone (Stokes) in who he truly believes in, wants to care for, and love.
USA TODAY: You have children. Is there something you share with them that illustrates what we’re talking about here?
Conley: My children are very active in sports. They play football, flag football, basketball and baseball. They play hockey now that we’re in Minnesota, so we’re done with all the sports and they honestly listen to everything I say as far as sportsmanship goes. My oldest is 7 and right now he’s taller, taller and faster than most kids, and he runs right past people. I was like, “Hey man, I know you can score the goal. I know you can get the ball and do that, but how about we try to make a good pass for this person or try to bring your good friend there to a good pass.” watch or just try to get them to understand the concept of team and how much more rewarding it is to see others succeed, not just yourself. Looks like they’re getting into it. So I hope that I continue to leave that mark and that they follow.
