 Phil Rizzuto, the first recipient of the award | |
| Awarded for | Top professional athlete |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Hickok Belt |
| Sponsored by | Ray and Alan Hickok (original) |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | National Sports Media Association (current) |
| History | |
| First award | 1950 (not awarded 1977–2011) |
| First winner | Phil Rizzuto |
| Most wins | 2, by Sandy Koufax, LeBron James, and Patrick Mahomes |
| Most recent | Nikola Jokić (2023) |
| Website | hickokbelt |
The S. Rae Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year award, commonly known as the Hickok Belt, is a trophy awarded to the top professional athlete of the year in the United States. First awarded from 1950 to 1976, it was dormant until being revived in 2012, and continues to be awarded.