Luol Deng 

Bulls GM John Paxson presented Deng with the award following Thursday's practice at the Berto Center.

NEW YORK, May 3, 2007Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls is the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy presented to the 2006.07 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner, the NBA announced today.

Originally presented following the 1995.96 season, the Sportsmanship Award honors a player who exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court -- ethical behavior, fair play and integrity. The trophy is named for former Detroit Pistons guard and Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, the award’s first recipient.

Deng, also a Central Division nominee for the 2005.06 season, was one of six divisional winners, including Atlanta’s Joe Johnson (Southeast), Houston’s Shane Battier (Southwest), the Los Angeles Clippers’ Elton Brand (Pacific), Toronto’s Anthony Parker (Atlantic) and Utah’s Derek Fisher (Northwest). Brand won the award in 2005.06.

The NBA will donate $25,000 on behalf of Luol Deng to Pacific Garden Mission, which is the oldest continuously-operating rescue mission in the country. The NBA will donate another $10,000 each to the divisional winners’ charities of choice: Toronto Raptors Foundation on behalf of Parker; Boys and Girls Club in Little Rock, Ark. on behalf of Johnson; Boys and Girls Club of Houston on behalf of Shane Battier; Fisher Fellows of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and C.A.M.P. Inc of Peekskill, N.Y. on Brand’s behalf.

For the third consecutive year, NBA players voted on this award, with eleven points given for each first-place vote, nine points for each second-place vote, seven points for third, five points for fourth, three points for fifth and one point for each sixth place vote received. Each team nominated one of its players for this award, then former NBA stars Mike Bantom, Eddie Johnson, Tom "Satch" Sanders, Kenny Smith and the 2000.01 Sportsmanship Award recipient Steve Smith, selected the six divisional winners from a pool of 30 team nominees.

Attached is a list of this year’s voting totals and all-time winners of the NBA Sportsmanship Award:

2006-07 NBA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD VOTING TOTALS

Player 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Points
Luol Deng, Chicago 52 69 48 62 53 29 2027
Shane Battier, Houston 65 58 59 38 36 57 2005
Derek Fisher, Utah 58 55 51 55 47 47 1953
Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers 50 49 66 57 53 38 1935
Joe Johnson, Atlanta 47 45 43 52 64 62 1737
Anthony Parker, Toronto 41 37 46 49 60 80 1611

ALL-TIME NBA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD WINNERS

Inaugural: Joe Dumars (1996) 2001.02: Steve Smith, San Antonio
1996.97: Terrell Brandon, Cleveland 2002.03: Ray Allen, Seattle
1997.98: Avery Johnson, San Antonio 2003.04: P.J. Brown, New Orleans
1998.99: Hersey Hawkins, Seattle 2004.05: Grant Hill, Orlando
1999.2000: Eric Snow, Philadelphia 2005.06: Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers
2000.01: David Robinson, San Antonio 2006.07: Luol Deng, Chicago

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