Spurs' Keldon Johnson named NBA Sixth Man of the Year
Keldon Johnson was named the 2025-26 NBA Sixth Man of the Year. He's the second Spurs player to win an end of season award.
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson was a breath of fresh air coming off the bench for San Antonio and it's being recognized and rewarded. Johnson, 26, was named the 2025-26 NBA Sixth Man of the Year after his seventh NBA season. Johnson appeared in all 82 games for the Spurs and didn't start any of them.
He set a franchise record with 1,081 bench points this season, a record previously held by Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili. Johnson has started 232 career games with the Spurs, but hasn't started any games the last two seasons. For someone who had been a starter his entire life, Johnson told ESPN's "Inside the NBA" that he's embraced his new role to be a part of "something special" in San Antonio.
"Honestly, you know, it just came down to wanting to be a part of something special here in San Antonio. I knew that in order (to) really be the best for the team, that coming off the bench was probably my best possibility," Johnson said. "At first it was tough.
I had to really remove my ego, put the team first. And you know, after that, the sky was the limit. I feel like my teammates, my coaches, really allow me to be myself.