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Johnson wins NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award, topping fellow finalists Jaquez Jr., Hardaway Jr.
TL;DR
Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs has won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award, becoming the first Spurs player to score over 1,000 points as a reserve in a season. He is only the second player in the last decade to play all 82 games off the bench.
Key points
- Keldon Johnson won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award
- He played all 82 games off the bench this season
- Johnson scored over 1,000 points as a reserve
- He is the second player in the last decade to achieve this
- Only two Spurs players have won the award
NBAKeldon JohnsonSan Antonio SpursManu Ginobili
Keldon Johnson was the ultimate backup for the San Antonio Spurs this season.
He played in all 82 games, all off the bench, becoming only the second NBA player in the last decade to do that. He became the first Spurs player to score 1,000 points as a reserve in a season. And all year long, San Antonio touted him as the best backup in the league.
Voters seemed to agree — and the Spurs have another award winner.
Johnson was announced Wednesday night as the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, joining Manu Ginobili in 2008 as the only Spurs to win that award. It's the first individual NBA award for Johnson, who was part of the U.S. Olympic team that won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
“I started for a long time,” Johnson said on ESPN. “Now, it's my time to come off the bench. I just continue to analyze the game, come off the bench, go in there and just do my thing.”
Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Denver's Tim Hardaway Jr. were the other finalists. Jaquez led all reserves in scoring and double-digit games for the Heat, while Hardaway led all reserves with 205 3-pointers and was fourth in scoring for the Nuggets.
Hardaway and Jaquez tied for ninth in 2024. Hardaway was also fifth in 2021, 10th in 2017 and tied for 13th as a rookie in 2014.
It was the culmination of a two-year run like few others for Johnson, who has appeared in 159 games over the past two seasons — always coming off the bench. No other player in the NBA has played anywhere near that many games without a start in that span.
“I wanted to be part of something special here in San Antonio,” Johnson said. “I knew that in order for me to really be the best for our team that coming off the bench was probably my best possibility. At first, it was tough. I had to (control) my ego and put the team first. After that, the sky was the limit.”
It was the third award the NBA has handed out this postseason, the second won by the Spurs and the first with any real intrigue about who was going to win.
Q&A
Who won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 2023?
Keldon Johnson won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 2023.
What are Keldon Johnson's achievements this season?
Keldon Johnson played all 82 games off the bench and scored over 1,000 points as a reserve.
How many Spurs players have won the Sixth Man of the Year award?
Only two Spurs players, Keldon Johnson and Manu Ginobili in 2008, have won the Sixth Man of the Year award.
What did Keldon Johnson say about his role coming off the bench?
Keldon Johnson stated that he analyzes the game and focuses on doing his best when coming off the bench.
