– Fan Voting Starts Friday, October 31 –
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2026 Bob Cousy Award and, in partnership with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2026 Nancy Lieberman Award.
The annual Bob Cousy Award, named after the Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard, celebrates its 23rd year by highlighting the top point guard in Division I men’s college basketball.
Now in its 27th year, the Nancy Lieberman Award recognizes the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates must exhibit the floor leadership, playmaking, and ball-handling skills of Class of 1996 Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman.
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2026 Bob Cousy Award Candidates*
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2026 Nancy Lieberman Award Candidates*
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Labaron Philon Jr.
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Alabama
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Rachael Rose
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Clemson
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Darius Acuff Jr.
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Arkansas
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Taina Mair
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Duke
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Tahaad Pettiford
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Auburn
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Janelle Brown
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Fairfield
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Robert Wright III
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BYU
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Jada Williams
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Iowa State
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Boogie Fland
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Florida
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S’Mya Nichols
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Kansas
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Milos Uzan
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Houston
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Tonie Morgan
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Kentucky
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Bennett Stirtz
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Iowa
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MiLaysia Fulwiley
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LSU
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Tamin Lipsey
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Iowa State
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Zoe Brooks
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NC State
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Darryn Peterson
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Kansas
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Britt Prince
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Nebraska
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Jaland Lowe
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Kentucky
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Reniya Kelly
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North Carolina
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Mikel Brown Jr.
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Louisville
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Hannah Hidalgo
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Notre Dame
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Elliot Cadeau
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Michigan
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Aaliyah Chavez
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Oklahoma
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Josh Hubbard
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Mississippi State
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Raven Johnson
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South Carolina
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Markus Burton
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Notre Dame
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Olivia Miles
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TCU
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Bruce Thornton
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Ohio State
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Talaysia Cooper
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Tennessee
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Braden Smith
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Purdue
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Rori Harmon
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Texas
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Ja’Kobi Gillespie
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Tennessee
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Ny’Ceara Pryor
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Texas A&M
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Christian Anderson
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Texas Tech
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Kiki Rice
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UCLA
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Donovan Dent
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UCLA
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Kymora Johnson
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Virginia
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Silas Demary Jr.
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UConn
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Jordan Harrison
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West Virginia
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*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2025-26 season.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 31. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2026 Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just 5. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Cousy, Lieberman, and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards are composed of top men’s and women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winners of the 2026 Cousy and Lieberman Awards will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the four other members of the Men’s and Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards (Small Forward), Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lisa Leslie Awards (Center).
Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award include Braden Smith, Purdue (2025), Tristen Newton, Connecticut (2024), Markquis Nowell, Kansas State (2023), Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois (2021), Ja Morant, Murray State (2019), Jalen Brunson, Villanova (2018), Trey Burke, Michigan (2013), Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (2012), Kemba Walker, Connecticut (2011), and Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph’s (2004).
Previous winners of the Nancy Lieberman Award include Caitlin Clark, Iowa (2022-24), Paige Bueckers, UConn (2021 and ‘25), Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon (2018-20), Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame (2012-13), Diana Taurasi, Connecticut (2003-04), and Sue Bird, Connecticut (2000-02).
For more information on the 2026 Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu, #CousyAward, and #LiebermanAward on X and Instagram.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981,or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level—men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors—both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 150 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophallu.
