The Naismith College Player of the Year Trophy is given yearly to the best men's and women's college basketball players in the United States. In 1969, the award was initially given to only male candidates. Female players were also included in 1983. The award process is overseen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Every year prior to the college basketball season that starts in November, the club announces a ‘watchlist’ of 50 players that are chosen by a board of coaches, administrators, and members of the media. This list is then narrowed down to 30 players based on their performance until February. From this group of players, four finalists are chosen in March. The main voting is done by the fans via text messaging, and the winner is announced in April and receives the Naismith Trophy.
Duke University is the record holder of having the highest number of Men’s Naismith College Player of the Year award winners. Nine Duke players have received the award since its inception in 1969. Johnny Dawkins was the first player from the school in 1986. He was then joined by Danny Ferry in 1989 and Christian Laettner in 1992. It went to Elton Brand in 1999, Shane Battier in 2001, and Jason Williams in 2002. J.J. Redick was honored in 2006, followed by Zion Williamson in 2019, who won the trophy as a freshman. In 2025, Cooper Flagg became the second freshman from Duke and the third-ever freshman in history to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award.
List of Men Players with most Naismith College Player of the Year Trophy
Bill Walton and Ralph Sampson have won the Naismith College Player of the Year Trophy three times, whereas Zach Edey has won it twice. All others, including Lew Alcindor, David Robinson, Kevin Durant, Obi Toppin, and Luka Garza, have won the award once.
| Player | College | Number of Wins | Years Won |
| Bill Walton | UCLA | 3 | 1972, 1973, 1974 |
| Ralph Sampson | Virginia | 3 | 1981, 1982, 1983 |
| Zach Edey | Purdue | 2 | 2023, 2024 |
Naismith College Player of the Year Trophy Winners Outside the United States.
Five players have won the Naismith College Player of the Year Trophy who were born outside the United States.
| Player | Country of Birth | City of Birth | Year Won | College |
| Andrew Bogut | Australia | Melbourne | 2005 | Utah |
| Patrick Ewing | Jamaica | Kingston | 1985 | Georgetown |
| Buddy Hield | Bahamas | Freeport | 2016 | Oklahoma |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Lubumbashi | 2022 | Kentucky |
| Zach Edey | Canada | Toronto, Ontario | 2023, 2024 | Purdue |
FAQs on Naismith Award
A. The Naismith Award is an annual award given to the top men’s and women’s college basketball players.
A. The Atlanta Tipoff Club presents the Naismith Award.
A. The first Naismith Award was presented in 1969.
A. Zach Edey (Purdue) and Caitlin Clark (Iowa) won the Naismith Award in 2024.
