The NBA playoffs are just around the corner, with less than 10 games left in the regular season, and the playoff races are heating up.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the best teams this season, currently holding a four game lead over the Boston Celtics for the No. 1 seed in the East.
With the season wrapping up, award finalists are being announced by the NBA, and former Texas Longhorns big man Jarrett Allen has made the final cut for the NBA Sportsmanship Award.
This award voted by current NBA players "recognizes the player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court," according to the NBA.
Allen is one of the six finalists, with one player representing each NBA division. The other finalists include Dorian Finney-Smith, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jrue Holiday, Kyrie Irving, and Franz Wagner.
This season, Allen averages 13.8 points, 10 rebounds, and just 1.6 fouls per game. Being a big man and always drawing contact, while only having that many fouls per game is impressive, and definitely a bonus point for this award.
According to Fox Sports, he has only been issued one flagrant foul, leading to an ejection, with zero technical fouls. Besides one incident, a very clean and respectful season for the former Longhorn.
He and the Cavaliers are not focused on sportsmanship awards, while they find themselves in first place in the East.
As they push to the playoffs, they will lean on their star guards, and Jarrett Allen to keep the paint secured in hopes to bring them their first championship since LeBron James helped them win in 2016.
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This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 2:13 PM.