Today, the National Lacrosse League (@NLL) announced Georgia Swarm forward Lyle Thompson was selected as by NLL team executives and coaches as the 2024 NLL Sportsmanship Award winner, Thompson’s sixth consecutive honor in this category. The NLL Players Association membership voted Las Vegas Desert Dogs forward Zack Greer as its Teammate of the Year for the 2023-24 season.
Thompson completed another stellar season for the Swarm in 2023-24, notching 42 goals and 45 assists for 87 points, marking his sixth straight full season of 40 or more goals (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, when he scored 27 in 12 games). Only three other players notched more than one Sportsmanship Award since the honor debuted in 2002, cementing Thompson’s status as one of the most well-respected and accomplished players in NLL history.
Greer, who completed his 14th year in the NLL, is a first-time winner of the Teammate of the Year Award, as selected through voting of the NLLPA body. He scored 21 goals and added 31 assists, surpassing the career 300-assist and 600-point plateaus earlier this season. A member of the Whitby (Ontario) Sports Hall of Fame, Greer won back-to-back league championships with Edmonton and Saskatchewan in 2015 and 2016, netting career bests of 44 and 42 goals, respectively, those seasons.
Below are the all-time winners of the NLL Sportsmanship Award:
2024 – Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm
2023 – Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm
2022 – Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm
2020 – Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm
2019 – Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm
2018 – Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm
2017 – Jordan Hall, Georgia Swarm
2016 – Ben McIntosh, Saskatchewan Rush
2015 – Kyle Buchanan, New England Black Wolves
2014 – Garrett Billings, Toronto Rock
2013 – Garrett Billings, Toronto Rock
2012 – Johnny Powless, Rochester Knighthawks
2011 – Jordan Hall, Rochester Knighthawks
2010 – Shawn Williams, Rochester Knighthawks
2009 – Dan Dawson, Boston Blazers
2008 – Dan Carey, Colorado Mammoth
2007 – Tracey Kelusky, Calgary Roughnecks
2006 – Sean Greenhalgh, Philadelphia Wings
2005 – Gary Gait, Colorado Mammoth
2004 – Gary Gait, Colorado Mammoth & Peter Lough, Arizona Sting
2003 – Chris Driscoll, New York Saints/Toronto Rock
2002 – Jim Veltman, Toronto Rock
Below are the all-time winners of the NLLPA Teammate of the Year Award:
2024 – Zack Greer, Las Vegas Desert Dogs
2023 – Dan Dawson, Toronto Rock
2022 – Jeremy Thompson, Panther City Lacrosse Club
2020 – Dan Dawson, Toronto Rock & Mike Poulin, Georgia Swarm
2019 – John Ranagan, Georgia Swarm
2018 – Craig England, Buffalo Bandits
2017 – Mike Poulin, Georgia Swarm
2016 – Mike Poulin, Calgary Roughnecks
2015 – Joel McCready, Vancouver Stealth
The NLL will continue to announce its award winners throughout the week, in advance of Friday’s Game 1 of the 2024 NLL Finals presented by AXIA Time between the Buffalo Bandits and the Albany FireWolves (7 p.m., TSN, TSN+, ESPN+) from MVP Arena in Albany.
2023-24 NLL Awards announcement schedule and summary:
Monday, May 13
Executive of the Year – John Catalano, President and Chief Executive Officer, Halifax Thunderbirds
Tom Borrelli Award (Media Person of the Year) – Adam Levi, Inside Lacrosse
Tuesday, May 14
Sportsmanship Award – Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm
Teammate of the Year (via NLLPA) – Zack Greer, Las Vegas Desert Dogs
Wednesday, May 15
Les Bartley Award (Coach of the Year)
General Manager of the Year
Thursday, May 16
Offensive Player of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
Transition Player of the Year
Goaltender of the Year
Friday, May 17
Most Valuable Player and the All-NLL First and Second Teams
Rookie of the Year and the NLL All-Rookie Team
Finalists for each award, announced last week, as well as selection criteria can be found here.
