The Los Angeles Lakers’ trade for veteran wing Dorian Finney-Smith in late-December began the roster transformation that turned this team into a legit championship contender. Finney-Smith was a very sought after player by many teams, and he has shown why in making a big impact on this Lakers team.
In addition to his play on the court, Finney-Smith has garnered nothing but praise from all of his teammates for his professionalism and overall demeanor, always being ready and willing to do whatever the Lakers need. And while a fierce competitor, he also never crosses the line and respects his opponents as well.
As such, it is a well-deserved nomination for Finney-Smith to be named one of six finalists for the NBA Sportsmanship Award, as the NBA announced on Wednesday:
The finalists for the 2024-25 NBA Sportsmanship Award.
The annual honor recognizes the player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. Current NBA players will select the winner from these six finalists (one finalist from each NBA division). #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/wY3NUss1bF
— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2025
The other finalists announced are Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks, Shai Gilgious-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jarrett Allen of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics and Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic.
Every season, each team nominates one player to compete for the award with one player from each division being selected as a finalist. At the end of the regular season, players cast votes for the award, with eleven points given for each first-place vote, nine for second-place vote, seven points for third, and so on. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award. Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley has won the award a record four times.
The Lakers couldn’t have picked a better player to represent them than Finney-Smith and in time it will be known if the rest of the league recognizes that as well. Either way, he is more than deserving of the award.
Lakers’ Dorian Finney-Smith talks about one of the best parts of his game
Dorian Finney-Smith is coming off his best offensive performance of the season for the Lakers, knocking down six 3-pointers and finishing with 20 points in a win over the Houston Rockets. Afterwards, he was asked about his ability to adapt to any lineup and thrive, which he believes is one of the best parts of his game.
“I think that’s one of the great things of my game,” Finney-Smith said.” I can play with any team and I can gel well with anybody, especially when you got star power. Like I said, I’m just happy those guys were finding me tonight and I was rolling.”
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