As the 2024-25 regular season winds down, expect to see the Oklahoma City Thunder well-represented during the award season. They're putting the finishing touches to one of the greatest regular season campaigns ever and will enter the playoffs playing their best basketball.
Not only will that garner plenty of award winners and nominations for destroying opposing teams on the court, but they also could get some additional miscellaneous recognitions for intangibles such as locker room vibes and leadership skills.
Both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylin Williams were nominated for lesser-known NBA awards on Wednesday. Gilgeous-Alexander was a finalist for the Sportsmanship award and Williams was a finalist for the Teammate of the Year award.
The NBA's Sportsmanship award consists of six nominees — one from each division — and recognizes the player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. The other five nominees are Kyrie Irving, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jrue Holiday, Jarrett Allen and Franz Wagner.
The NBA's Teammate of the Year award consists of 12 nominees and recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on/off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to the team.
The other 11 nominees are Steven Adams, Nicola Batum, Jalen Brunson, Stephen Curry, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, Jaren Jackson Jr., James Johnson, DeAndre Jordan, Brook Lopez and Donovan Mitchell.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the face of the Thunder. They go as far as he takes them. The team always praises his leadership style and this award could look nice right next to his probable MVP trophy. Meanwhile, Williams' nomination speaks for itself. Everybody in OKC adores him and his postgame antics have become a hit on a national stage this season.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylin Williams nominated for NBA awards
