The Naismith Award is a notable trophy that is presented to the men and women college basketball players every year. It has been named after James Naismith, the inventor of basketball and awarded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The Naismith Award was first introduced in 1969.
The award was initially only meant for male college basketball players. However, it also expanded to female college basketball players in 1983. Notably Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.) of the UCLA Bruins became the first male college basketball player to win the award in 1969.
Furthermore, Anne Donovan of the Old Dominion Monarchs became the first female college basketball player to win the award in 1983. The Naismith Award also has various categories under NCAA Division I college basketball. These are Naismith College Player of the Year (men and women), Naismith College Coach of the Year (men and women), Naismith Defensive Player of the Year (men and women), Naismith Prep Player of the Year (men and women), Naismith College Official of the Year (men and women) and Naismith Legacy Award.
A bunch of new players are to be presented with the award in 2024 based on their basketball skills.
Who are the Naismith Award Finalists of 2024?
There are only two lists of Naismith Award finalists revealed to the fans as per naismithtrophy.com. These are as follows.-
2024 Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year Finalists
The finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year has been revealed by naismithtophy.com for men’s college basketball games. These are. -
| Name | Class | Position | College Basketball Team | Conference |
| Zach Edey | Senior | C | Purdue Boilermakers | Big Ten |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Senior | C | Creighton Bluejays | Big East |
| Tamin Lipsey | Sophomore | G | Iowa State Cyclones | Big 12 |
| Jamal Shead | Senior | G | Houston Cougars | Big 12 |
2024 Naismith’s Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Finalists
Naismithtrophy.com has also revealed the four finalists of the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year for women. These are.-
| Name | Class | Position | College Basketball Team | Conference |
| Cameron Brink | Senior | F | Stanford Cardinal | Pac-12 |
| Kamilla Cardoso | Senior | C | South Carolina Gamecocks | SEC |
| Hannah Hidalgo | Fresman | G | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | ACC |
| Celeste Taylor | Grad Student | G | Ohio State Buckeyes | Big Ten |
When will the Naismith Awards be declared?
The winner for the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year will be declared on April 3, 2024. The winner for the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year will also be declared on the same date as per naismithtophy.com.
FAQ's On List of Naismith Award Finalists
A. The Naismith Award is named after James Naismith, the founder of basketball.
A. The first male college basketball award was won by Kareen Abdul-Jabbar in 1969.
A. The first female college player to win the Naismith Award was Anne Donovan in 1983.
A. The Atlanta Tipoff Club presents the male and female college basketball players with the Naismith Award.
A. Zach Edey of the Purdue Boilermakers and Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes won the Naismith Award in 2023.
