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Spurs' Johnson named Sixth Man of the Year

Ronald Cortes / Getty Images Sport / Getty

San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday.

Johnson beat out Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Denver Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr, earning 63 first-place votes from a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.

Johnson came off the bench in all 82 games this season, averaging 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 51.9% shooting while playing 23.3 minutes a night. He also boasted impressive offensive rebounding (1.7 per game) for his size.

The 26-year-old is the second Spurs player to earn Sixth Man of the Year honors since its inception in 1982-83, joining Hall of Fame guard Manu Ginobili (2007-08).

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard won the award last year after establishing the NBA's single-season record for the most made 3-pointers (246) by a player off the bench.

It's the second time this week that a Spurs player has earned one of the league's top individual honors after Victor Wembanyama became the first unanimous winner of Defensive Player of the Year on Monday.

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