The Los Angeles Valiant's Scott "Custa" Kennedy received the Overwatch League's Dennis Hawelka Award on Friday recognizing him for his positive impact on the Overwatch community.
The award was presented on the first night of the play-in portion of the Overwatch League's season-ending, $3.5 million playoffs.
The honor is named for Dennis "Internethulk" Hawelka, a well-liked player who died in November 2017 ahead of the start of the Overwatch League in 2018.
"I try and be as positive and try to help as much as I can, but it's not really something that you really consider for yourself," Custa told overwatchleague.com. "I try to do good, and seeing other people react and say, 'We think you deserve this award,' it's a really big thing because it means I'm having a positive impact on other people."
Custa later tweeted, "Words don't describe how much receiving this award means to me. Watching that video from my teammates had me breaking up behind the stage. Thank you to everyone who helped me get to this point, you're all amazing!"
Last year, the Dallas Fuel's Ponghop "Mickie" Rattanasangchod received the Dennis Hawelka Award.
The Valiant finished the Overwatch League regular season with a 12-16 record, leaving them in 13th place, one spot out of the last postseason play-in position.
Six teams are competing in the play-in tournament, fighting for the last two berths in the eight-team playoffs. The Vancouver Titans, New York Excelsior, San Francisco Shock, Hangzhou Spark, Los Angeles Gladiators and Atlanta Reign have already secured playoff berths.
The playoff champion will receive $1.1 million with the runner-up getting $600,000.
--Field Level Media