Keldon Johnson follows in Ginobili’s footsteps, wins Sixth Man of the Year

Keldon Johnson has made history with the San Antonio Spurs: the franchise forward has officially been named Sixth Man of the Year, an award announced by the league on Wednesday.

Johnson is the first player in Spurs history to record at least 1,081 points off the bench in a single season, the second-highest total in the entire league this year. An even more significant milestone considering San Antonio previously had Manu Ginobili, the only other Spurs player to ever win this award.

From starter to sixth man

The turning point in Johnson’s career came two seasons ago, when – during a morning in Dallas before practice – then-head coach Gregg Popovich called him in to deliver the team’s decision: he would move out of the starting lineup and become the leader of the second unit. After more than 200 starts in his first four seasons, it wasn’t an easy transition.

At first, it was tough. I had to check my ego and put the team first. After that, the sky was the limit

Keldon Johnson

A change Johnson embraced with maturity, transforming himself into the heartbeat of the Spurs and an essential presence for his teammates.

The numbers behind a remarkable season

The stats tell the story of an outstanding season for the Spurs veteran:

• 13 games with 20+ points off the bench in the regular season, third-best in franchise history and the highest since Ginobili in 2006-07
• Top 5 in total rebounds (303), free throws made (154), free throws attempted (194), and bench plus/minus (+3.9)
• 60% shooting on two-point attempts, a career high
• 201 games played off the bench in his last 202 appearances

Wembanyama: “He’s the soul of this team”

Highlighting Johnson’s value on and off the court, Victor Wembanyama, recently named Defensive Player of the Year, praised his teammate:

He’s sacrificed more than anyone on this team in terms of stats and minutes, yet he’s surpassed everyone because he’s the soul of the group. He brings energy at any time of the day. He deserves Sixth Man of the Year

Victor Wembanyama

Dylan Harper also paid tribute, emphasizing how Johnson has helped build a culture of inclusion inside the Spurs locker room:

The role he’s taken and how he’s embraced it is the best thing that could’ve happened to us. He’s a glue guy, he shows up every day with a smile and an energy nobody else has. And with those 1,000 points off the bench, you see every night how much he impacts the game

Dylan Harper

The award won by Keldon Johnson goes far beyond the numbers: it’s recognition for a player who set aside personal pride to become something bigger.