Spurs’ Keldon Johnson seizes Sixth Man of the Year Award over Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tim Hardaway Jr.

San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson has been named the recipient of the John Havlicek Trophy as the 2025-26 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year for his contributions coming off the bench this season.

For the second consecutive year, Johnson came off the bench in every game he played, and the 2025-26 season marked the first time he had played in all 82 games.

In his seventh season with the Spurs, Johnson averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor and 36.3 percent from 3-point range off the bench.

He finished second in both total points scored (1,081) and total rebounds (440) off the bench this season, and he was one of 17 players to shoot at least 50 percent from the floor with at least 790 total shot attempts.

Johnson joins Spurs legend Manu Ginobili as the only other player in franchise history to ever be named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year.

As a result of his scoring and defensive contributions off the bench in all 82 games this season, the Spurs won 62 games, their most since going 67-15 and reaching the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2015-16 season.

The Spurs finished second in the Western Conference standings this year, snapping their six-year playoff drought, the longest in franchise history.

Alongside the Spurs’ forward, Miami Heat swingman Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Denver Nuggets sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr. were also named finalists for the 2025-26 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. Jaquez finished second in the voting behind Johnson.

To be eligible for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, a player must come off the bench in more games than he started over the course of the season.

When asked about potentially winning this award recently, Johnson made his case as clear as possible.

“When it comes to the Sixth Man award, I feel like I’ve played every game this season,” Johnson said. “I’m very efficient, I’m a star in my role and my team is winning. I feel like when you put those things together, why not? How can you not say I’m the Sixth Man of the Year? I feel like I show up every day and I do what I do.”

Johnson proved his worth time and time again off the bench for the Spurs this season, but two performances against the Oklahoma City Thunder stand out on his Sixth Man of the Year resume.

After scoring 25 points off the bench in a 130-110 win over the Thunder in December, Johnson registered 25 points in 29 minutes during San Antonio’s 116-106 win over their rivals in February.

This is the second major award that a Spurs player has received this season, as Victor Wembanyama was named the 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Monday. Along with Wembanyama also being nominated for the league’s MVP award, head coach Mitch Johnson could also be receiving some hardware this season in San Antonio, as he is a finalist for the Coach of the Year award.

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