Dwane Casey wins PBWA’s 2015-16 Rudy Tomjanovich Award

Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors has won the 2015-16 Rudy Tomjanovich Award, which honors a coach for his cooperation with the media and fans, as well as his excellence on the court, the Professional Basketball Writers Association announced today.

In his fifth season as the Raptors’ head coach, Casey led his team to a 56-26 record, the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. He also promoted an environment of mutual respect, professionalism and thoughtfulness with the working media.

The PBWA selected five finalists for the award. The other finalists were the Charlotte Hornets’ Steve Clifford, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Doc Rivers, the Boston Celtics’ Brad Stevens and the Detroit Pistons’ Stan Van Gundy.

Casey, 59, won the award through a vote of PBWA members.

The award is named for Rudy Tomjanovich, the former Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers coach who always was professional and respectful in his dealings with the media. During his 13 seasons as an NBA head coach, Tomjanovich amassed a 527-416 regular-season record and a 51-39 postseason record. His Rockets won back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995.

The PBWA is composed of approximately 175 writers and editors who cover the NBA on a regular basis for newspapers, online outlets and magazines.

Casey will receive the Rudy Tomjanovich Award trophy during an on-court ceremony prior to the Raptors’ playoff game Tuesday night against the Indiana Pacers in Toronto.

Rudy Tomjanovich Award winners
2010-11 Jerry Sloan, Utah Jazz
2011-12 Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics
2012-13 George Karl, Denver Nuggets
2013-14 Frank Vogel, Indiana Pacers
2014-15 Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
2015-16 Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors