Keldon Johnson Wins NBA Sixth Man of the Year

It's April 23rd, El Paso News today starts now, AI-powered and ready.

Keldin Johnson just snagged the NBA's six-man-of-the-year award, marking a huge win for the San Antonio Spurs.

He balled out in all 82 games this season, shrily off the bench, the only second player in the last decade to pull that off.

Johnson also became the first Spurs Reserve ever to drop 1,000 points in a season and the team hyped him as the top back-up all year.

Voters backed it up, with Johnson earning 63 first-place votes to top the list.

Miami's Jaime Jacquez Jr. came in second with 34, while Denver's Tim Hardaway Jr. took third.

Jacquez led reserves in scoring and double-digit games, and Hardaway drained the most threes from the bench at 205.

Johnson called it emotional after years of starting, saying he checked his ego to prioritize the team and unlock his potential.

He's the second Spur to claim this honor, joining Manu Genobili from 2008, and it's his first individual NBA award since gold with team.

USA in Tokyo, back in 2021. Over the past two seasons, he's logged 159 games without a single start way more than anyone else.

That grind paid off big, especially after Victor Wimbenjama's unanimous defensive player nod on Monday.

The Spurs are stacking Hardware this week, and Johnson's ready to keep impacting from the bench, wherever it takes the squad next.