First awarded exclusively to male players in 1969, the award was expanded to include female players in 1983. Annually before the college season begins in November, a "watchlist" consisting of 50 players is chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club board of selectors, comprising head coaches, administrators and media members from across the United States. By February, the list of nominees is narrowed down to 30 players based on performance. In March, four out of the 30 players are selected as finalists and are placed in the final ballot. The final winners are selected in April by both the board of selectors and fan voting via
text messaging. The winners receive the
Naismith Trophy. Three award winners, two men and one woman, were born in United States territories: •
Alfred "Butch" Lee, who was born in the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, and •
Tim Duncan and
Aliyah Boston, both born in the
U.S. Virgin Islands. The only award winners who have been born outside the
jurisdiction of the United States were: •
Andrew Bogut, born in
Melbourne, Australia. •
Patrick Ewing, born in
Kingston, Jamaica. •
Buddy Hield, born in
Freeport, Bahamas. •
Oscar Tshiebwe, born in
Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. •
Zach Edey, born in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada. •
Sarah Strong, born in
Madrid, Spain Six of these players were developed at least partially in the U.S. proper—Lee was raised in
Harlem from early childhood; Ewing immigrated to the
Boston area at age 12; Boston moved to
Worcester, Massachusetts at the same age; Hield attended high school in suburban
Wichita, Kansas; Tshiebwe attended high schools in
southwestern Virginia and
western Pennsylvania; and Edey spent his last two high school years in
Florida. Duncan did not move to the U.S. proper until he arrived at
Wake Forest University, and Bogut lived in Australia until his arrival at the
University of Utah. Through 2025–26,
Duke has the most male winners with 10, while
UConn has the most female winners, with twelve awards won by eight individuals. The award has been won by a
freshman six times:
Kevin Durant (
Texas, 2007),
Anthony Davis (
Kentucky, 2012),
Zion Williamson (Duke, 2019),
Paige Bueckers (UConn, 2021),
Cooper Flagg (Duke, 2025), and
Cameron Boozer (Duke, 2026). ==Key==