Sixth Man Winner

Keldon Johnson was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year on April 22, 2026, the league announced Wednesday. (nba.com) Johnson appeared in all 82 regular-season games without a start and set a Spurs single-season record by scoring 1,081 points off the bench. (nba.com) He finished ahead of finalists Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat and Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Denver Nuggets in the media vote; Johnson totaled 404 points with 63 first-place votes. (yardbarker.com) Johnson averaged roughly 13 points and 5 rebounds per game this season while leading San Antonio’s second unit that ranked among the league’s top bench scorers. (nbcsports.com) League coverage and social posts emphasized that Johnson’s scoring punch and energy from the bench boost San Antonio’s depth heading into the 2026 playoffs. (nytimes.com) Johnson was a late addition to the U.S. Olympic roster in Tokyo and earned a gold medal with Team USA in 2021. (usab.com) San Antonio drafted Johnson 29th overall in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft out of Kentucky. (wikipedia.org) (en.wikipedia.org) Coaches and reporters note Johnson accepted a permanent bench role after a lineup change under Gregg Popovich beginning in the 2023–24 season. (cbssports.com) “I started for a long time. Now, it’s my time to come off the bench,” Johnson said after the announcement, calling the award his first individual NBA honor. (nba.com)