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This year's NBA Sixth Man of the Year race is looking stacked. The Boston Celtics' Payton Pritchard currently leads the way. However, the Detroit Pistons' Malik Beasley and Cleveland Cavaliers' DeAndre Hunter can still chase him for the award and make it close. Here is a look at past years and the 10 tightest NBA Sixth Man of the Year races in NBA history.
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1. 1993-94
It was a tight NBA Sixth Man of the Year race for the 1993-94 season. The showdown came down between the Charlotte Hornets' Dell Curry, the father of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, and Seattle Supersonics' Nate McMillan. Offensively, Curry had better numbers, putting up 16.3 points per game on 40.2% shooting from beyond the arc.
Although McMillan wasn't posting solid numbers scoring-wise, he made up for it on the defensive end by tallying a league-leading 3.0 steals per game. Curry still prevailed with 46 total voting points to McMillan's 37 in the race. But as a consolation, the latter still made the All-Defensive Second Team.
2. 2023-24
Just last season, NBA fans witnessed one of the tightest NBA Sixth Man of the Year race for the first time in a while. The Minnesota Timberwolves' Naz Reid and Sacramento Kings' Malik Monk were in a neck-and-neck chase for the award.
Monk averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 assists per game off the bench. On the other hand, Reid tallied 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Between the two, Reid played an instrumental role in the Timberwolves' success overall, helping them reach all the way to the Western Conference Finals. As a result, it's easy to see why he got 10 more voting points compared to Monk's 342.
3. 1995-96
With the NBA opening its doors to European talent, it isn't surprising that two of their best players were in a tight race for the Sixth Man of the Year award in the 1995-96 season. Croatian star Toni Kukoc edged out Lithuanian big man Arvydas Sabonis by 21 voting points, 45-24.
While Sabonis had relatively better numbers, putting up 14.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game, Kukoc helped the Chicago Bulls win a then-NBA-record 72 games. Kukoc remains the only Sixth Man of the Year winner to win a championship in the same season. Although, Pritchard is hoping to change that.
4. 2016-17
While winning proved to be the deciding factor in the 1995-96 season, it was the total opposite in the 2016-17 season. Eric Gordon posted 16.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.5 rebounds per game and had 3.8 win shares for the Houston Rockets.
Pitted against him was the Golden State Warriors' 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala. Iggy put up 7.6 points per game but was a menace defensively, contributing 6.9 win shares. Nonetheless, it wasn't enough to chase Gordon, who earned 358 voting points to Iguodala's 326.
5. 1997-98
It's quite bizarre to think that former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant nearly added a Sixth Man of the Year Award to his decorated list of accolades. But back in the 1997-98 season, Bryant was a sparkplug off the bench, producing 15.4 points per game. However, the Black Mamba failed to prevail against the Phoenix Suns' Danny Manning, who earned 57 total voting points to Bryant's 31. Manning averaged 13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
6. 2001-02
Both Corliss Williamson and Bobby Jackson were both reliable bench players for their respective teams. Williamson put up 13.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game for the Detroit Pistons. On the other hand, Jackson averaged 11.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game for the Sacramento Kings. However, Williamson emerged victorious, earning 26 more votes to Jackson's 30.
7. 1994-95
Dell Curry was in the hunt for his second straight Sixth Man of the Year Award. However, he was denied by New York Knicks big man Anthony Mason. Mason earned 47 votes to Curry's 18. The power forward was impactful for the Knicks, earning 8.6 win shares while averaging 9.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
8. 2000-01
The 2001 Sixth Man of the Year race featured two solid wing players in Aaron McKie and Tim Thomas. Thomas prevailed in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game. But despite averaging 11.6 points per outing, it was McKie who garnered more votes with 57 to Thomas' 27. The 6-foot-5 guard also had more win shares 5.9 for the Philadelphia 76ers.
9. 2003-04
Al Harrington had one of his best seasons for the Indiana Pacers, putting up 13.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. However, he could only finish as the runner-up with Antawn Jamison making a major impact for the Dallas Mavericks. He had better numbers across the board, finishing the season with 14.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game combined with 9.0 win shares. As a result, Jamison earned more votes, 338-275.
10. 2019-20
Curiously, the final three candidates of the Sixth Man of the Year race featured two Los Angeles Clippers players in Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams, with the Oklahoma Ciy Thunder's Dennis Schroder rounding out the race. Harrell eventually prevailed, garnering 397 votes as Schroder fell to second place with 328. The Clippers big man averaged 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game while posting 7.0 win shares.
