Credit to: purduesports.com
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter has been named a recipient of the 2025 NABC Guardians of the Game Award, presented to college basketball personnel who embody the NABC’s core values of leadership, service, education, advocacy and inclusion.
Receiving the 2025 NABC Guardians of the Game awards are: for Leadership, LSU-Shreveport coach Kyle Blankenship; for Service, NABC International Committee chair Alan Lambert; for Education, Chapman coach Dan Krikorian; for Advocacy, Purdue coach Matt Painter; and for Inclusion, Alabama A&M coach Otis Hughley Jr.
“The NABC Guardians of the Game platform showcases the impact coaches make beyond Xs and Os,” said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. “Each of this year’s recipients have left their own unique mark on and off the court, and I thank them for living out the NABC’s core values and serving as role models for our profession.”
Off the court, Painter is one of the most influential voices in the sport and currently serves on the NABC Board of Directors. He recently completed a term as a coach representative on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee – a marquee committee that leads legislative and growth strategies for college basketball’s highest level. In addition, he has been on several other committees during his time with the NABC, advancing the growth and development of collegiate basketball.
Entering March, Matt has reached 15 NCAA Tournaments and seven Sweet 16s, advanced to last season’s national championship game, and won five Big Ten regular-season championships and two Big Ten Tournament titles in his 20-plus seasons at Purdue.
In his 21 seasons as a head coach, Painter has won 493 career games, including 468 at his alma mater, Purdue, in 20 seasons.
