George Karl voted winner of the 2012-13 Rudy Tomjanovich Award

George Karl of the Denver Nuggets has been voted as the 2012-13 winner of the Rudy Tomjanovich Award, which recognizes a coach annually for his cooperation with the media and fans, as well as his excellence on the court, the Pro Basketball Writers Association announced today.PBWA members nominated seven coaches for the award this season. In addition to Karl, the nominees were Scott Brooks of Oklahoma City, Rick Carlisle of Dallas, Doug Collins of Philadelphia, Larry Drew of Atlanta, Lawrence Frank of Detroit and Doc Rivers of Boston.

Rivers won last season, and Jerry Sloan was the inaugural winner in 2011.

The award is named for Rudy Tomjanovich, the former coach of the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers who always was professional and respectful in all his dealings with the media.

The PBWA comprises approximately 125 writers who cover the NBA on a regular basis for newspapers, Internet services and magazines.

Rudy Tomjanovich Award winners
2010-11 Jerry Sloan, Utah Jazz
2011-12 Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics
2012-13 George Karl, Denver Nuggets