Keldon Johnson Claims NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award with 404 Votes

Johnson played one season for Kentucky in 2017-18, earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors before being selected 29th overall by the San Antonio Spurs. He has become the longest-tenured Spur on the roster and helped the team finish 62-20, securing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. This season marked his first year without a single start after 232 career openings.

Johnson received 404 votes in the Sixth Man balloting, including 63 first-place selections. He finished ahead of Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr., who tallied 331 points and 34 first-place votes, and Denver's Tim Hardaway Jr., who garnered 45 total votes with no first-place support. Off the bench, Johnson averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting career-best marks of 51.9% from the field, 36.3% from three-point range, and 79.4% from the free-throw line. He led the league with 1,081 bench points and contributed to the Spurs' ninth-ranked bench scoring output of 41.4 points per game.

The award underscores Johnson's value as a high-impact reserve despite limited minutes, averaging just 23.3 per game. He ranked fifth in scoring for San Antonio and was the team's third-leading rebounder, hitting double figures in 58 of his 82 appearances (70.7%). Johnson joins teammate Tyler Herro as the only Wildcats to capture the Sixth Man honor, following Herro's 2022 win. The recognition adds to Kentucky's growing list of NBA accolades, which includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's recent Clutch Player of the Year award.