This is his third title as the best player. His first selection came in 2011, and he came home with the award for the second time in 2013.

In the 2014 selection of the best player, Duvnjak won 70 points, almost as twice as much as the next behind him, Renato Sulić. Mirko Alilović came third (16), Zlatko Horvat 4th (9), Igor Vori fifth (5), Marko Kopljar was 6th (2), while the seventh place was a tie between Ivano Balić, Ivan Čupić, Igor Karačić, Manuel Štrlek and Filip Ivić, all with one point. As per tradition, votes were cast by designated officials, experts and journalists.

Domagoj accepted the award in Rijeka during halftime of the match between Croatia and Serbia, which was played in the course of preparations for the World Championship played between 15 January and 1 February in Qatar.

Andrea Penezić was selected as the best female handball player for the seventh time, which set a record for the number of awards (Ivano Balić leads the male competition with five awards). Croatian national team manager Slavko Goluža was selected as the best coach, and to keep things in line with the previous year, there were the referees Matija Gubica and Boris Milošević, again the recipients of the award for best referee duo.