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Perhaps one of these years the National Lacrosse League (NLL) will simply just name its sportsmanship award after Lyle Thompson.
That’s because, in recent memory, no one other than Thompson, a member of Onondaga Nation in the state of New York who is now living on the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario, has won the award.
This year’s league sportsmanship award was announced May 23, and Thompson, a member of the NLL’s Georgia Swarm, was named for the fifth consecutive year.
Thompson is considered one of the top current players in the world. He led the Swarm in scoring this season with 106 points (46 goals and 60 assists) in 18 regular season matches. And he was assessed a mere two penalty minutes during the entire season.
Thompson, who is 30, also made some headlines last week when he announced he would not play in 2023 for the American-based Premier Lacrosse League (PLL), a pro field lacrosse circuit. Thompson led the PLL in scoring during the 2022 campaign.
Thompson, however, will still be playing over the next few months. He suited up for his current hometown Six Nations Chiefs on May 22. His side registered a 10-9 overtime victory against the Cobourg Kodiaks in their Ontario-based Major Series Lacrosse season opener.
Thompson had a team-high six points (one goal and five assists) in that contest.