[a] The most well-recognized NEC Player of the Year is Marist's Rik Smits, who won the award in both 1987 and 1988.

Smits went on to have a successful National Basketball Association (NBA) career for 12 seasons (1988–2000), all with the Indiana Pacers.

[1] In 2021–22, Alex Morales of Wagner became just the fourth NEC player to be named player of the year for two consecutive seasons, and the first since Charles Jones of Long Island University in 1997 and 1998.

LIU has the most winners with eight, all of whom represented Long Island University's Brooklyn campus before the school merged the athletic programs of its Brooklyn and Post campuses in July 2019.

The Tigers left for the East Coast Conference, and are now in the Coastal Athletic Association.