Spurs' Keldon Johnson wins NBA Sixth Man of the Year with stellar season-long bench performance
Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs has been named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year, becoming the second player in franchise history to achieve the honor after playing all 82 games off the bench.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 09:39
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 10:01 (22 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 11:58 (1h 57m after Collected)
Central News
(CNA, New York, 22nd, Composite Foreign Report) The NBA Sixth Man of the Year award was presented today to Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs. He played entirely off the bench this season with a stellar performance, becoming the second player in franchise history to receive this honor, following Manu Ginobili.
According to an AP report, Johnson was the ultimate reserve player this season, playing in 82 games, all off the bench, becoming the second player in the NBA over the past 10 years to achieve this. He also set a Spurs franchise record, becoming the first to score 1,000 points in a single season exclusively as a reserve.
Throughout the season, the Spurs have consistently referred to Johnson as the best reserve in the league, and the award voters agreed. In the Sixth Man of the Year voting, Johnson received 63 first-place votes, Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. took 34 for second place, and Denver Nuggets' Tim Hardaway Jr. ranked third.
Among reserve players, Jaquez led the league in total points and double-digit scoring games. Hardaway led all reserves with 205 three-pointers and ranked fourth in bench scoring.
Following the announcement of the award, Johnson stated: "I started for a very long time. Now, it's my turn to come off the bench. I just keep watching the game, come off the bench, and do what I need to do."
This honor is also a culmination of Johnson's performance over the past two seasons, during which he played a total of 159 games, always starting from the bench. During this period, no other NBA player has come close to this number of games played without starting a single one.
Johnson said: "I want to be part of something special in San Antonio. I know that to be the most helpful to the team, coming off the bench might be the best option. It was hard at first, I had to put my ego aside and put the team first. After that, the sky was the limit."
Upon winning the award, Johnson added: "It makes you a little emotional, it's a huge accomplishment. There's a lot of hard work that goes into an award like this."
This is Johnson's first individual NBA award; he was previously a member of the US gold medal team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
This is the third award presented during the NBA playoffs and the second for a Spurs player, as Victor Wembanyama became the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in history on the 20th. (Translated by: Qu Xiangping) 1150423
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(CNA, New York, 22nd, Composite Foreign Report) The NBA Sixth Man of the Year award was presented today to Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs. He played entirely off the bench this season with a stellar performance, becoming the second player in franchise history to receive this honor, following Manu Ginobili.
According to an AP report, Johnson was the ultimate reserve player this season, playing in 82 games, all off the bench, becoming the second player in the NBA over the past 10 years to achieve this. He also set a Spurs franchise record, becoming the first to score 1,000 points in a single season exclusively as a reserve.
Throughout the season, the Spurs have consistently referred to Johnson as the best reserve in the league, and the award voters agreed. In the Sixth Man of the Year voting, Johnson received 63 first-place votes, Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. took 34 for second place, and Denver Nuggets' Tim Hardaway Jr. ranked third.
Among reserve players, Jaquez led the league in total points and double-digit scoring games. Hardaway led all reserves with 205 three-pointers and ranked fourth in bench scoring.
Following the announcement of the award, Johnson stated: "I started for a very long time. Now, it's my turn to come off the bench. I just keep watching the game, come off the bench, and do what I need to do."
This honor is also a culmination of Johnson's performance over the past two seasons, during which he played a total of 159 games, always starting from the bench. During this period, no other NBA player has come close to this number of games played without starting a single one.
Johnson said: "I want to be part of something special in San Antonio. I know that to be the most helpful to the team, coming off the bench might be the best option. It was hard at first, I had to put my ego aside and put the team first. After that, the sky was the limit."
Upon winning the award, Johnson added: "It makes you a little emotional, it's a huge accomplishment. There's a lot of hard work that goes into an award like this."
This is Johnson's first individual NBA award; he was previously a member of the US gold medal team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
This is the third award presented during the NBA playoffs and the second for a Spurs player, as Victor Wembanyama became the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in history on the 20th. (Translated by: Qu Xiangping) 1150423
Choose to stand with the facts. Every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA "First Hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.