The award honors the player who best represents the ideals of character and conduct on and off the court.
[1] The award is named after former D-League, Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier, who died on October 15, 2005.
Collier was a player and person who exemplified the qualities of a faithful teammate, husband, father, son, brother and friend.
He was ready to begin his sixth NBA season at the time of his death.
[1] Billy Thomas,[2] Andre Ingram and Ron Howard have both won the award on two occasions.