The 31 Greatest Sixth Men in NBA History

Hall of Famers who accepted a bench role share this list with pure instant-offense specialists, and the order is far from settled.

1. 1
   Darrell Armstrong

   Orlando Magic guard who won Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player in the same season, 1999.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Antawn Jamison

   Forward who won the 2004 Sixth Man of the Year award in his only season with the Dallas Mavericks.
   954pts
3. 3
   Manu Ginóbili

   Argentine guard who won four championships with the San Antonio Spurs and the 2008 Sixth Man of the Year award.
   930pts
4. 4
   Michael Cooper

   Los Angeles Lakers reserve guard who won five championships and the 1987 Defensive Player of the Year award.
   930pts
5. 5
   Jason Terry

   Dallas Mavericks guard who won the 2009 Sixth Man of the Year award and the 2011 championship.
   818pts
6. 6
   Eric Gordon

   Houston Rockets guard who won the 2017 Sixth Man of the Year award and that year's Three-Point Contest.
   818pts
7. 7
   Naz Reid

   Undrafted big man who became Minnesota's first Sixth Man of the Year in 2024.
   818pts
8. 8
   Vinnie Johnson

   Pistons guard nicknamed "The Microwave" who came off the bench for Detroit's 1989 and 1990 championship teams.
   734pts
9. 9
   Andre Iguodala

   Golden State Warriors forward who won the 2015 Finals MVP without starting a single regular-season game that season.
   734pts
10. 10
    John Havlicek

    Celtics Hall of Famer who began his career as Boston's sixth man and won eight championships with the franchise.
    734pts
11. 11
    Ricky Pierce

    Milwaukee Bucks guard who won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 1987 and 1990.
    734pts
12. 12
    Tyler Herro

    Miami Heat guard who won the 2022 Sixth Man award in his third NBA season.
    636pts
13. 13
    Kevin McHale

    Boston Celtics forward who won Sixth Man of the Year in 1984 and 1985 and three championships with Boston.
    636pts
14. 14
    Ben Gordon

    Chicago Bulls guard who won the 2005 Sixth Man of the Year award, the first rookie to win it.
    636pts
15. 15
    Detlef Schrempf

    German forward who won Sixth Man of the Year in back-to-back seasons, 1991 and 1992, with the Indiana Pacers.
    636pts
16. 16
    James Harden

    Won the 2012 Sixth Man of the Year award with Oklahoma City before becoming a starter and the 2018 MVP in Houston.
    636pts
17. 17
    Lamar Odom

    Los Angeles Lakers forward who won the 2011 Sixth Man of the Year award after titles with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010.
    636pts
18. 18
    Lou Williams

    Three-time Sixth Man of the Year (2015, 2018, 2019) who retired as the NBA's career leader in points scored off the bench.
    636pts
19. 19
    Bobby Jones

    Philadelphia 76ers forward who won the first Sixth Man of the Year award in 1983, the season Philadelphia won the title.
    520pts
20. 20
    Mike Miller

    Memphis Grizzlies forward who won the 2006 Sixth Man of the Year award and later two titles with Miami.
    520pts
21. 21
    Jordan Clarkson

    Utah Jazz guard who claimed the 2021 Sixth Man award in his second season in Utah.
    520pts
22. 22
    Dell Curry

    Shooting guard who spent ten seasons in Charlotte and was named 1994 Sixth Man of the Year.
    520pts
23. 23
    Frank Ramsey

    Boston Celtics forward of the 1950s and 1960s, often credited as the first great sixth man, who won seven championships.
    382pts
24. 24
    Bill Walton

    Hall of Fame center who won the 1986 Sixth Man of the Year award and that season's championship as a Celtics reserve.
    382pts
25. 25
    Toni Kukoč

    Croatian forward who won the 1996 Sixth Man of the Year award and three straight championships with the Chicago Bulls.
    382pts
26. 26
    J.R. Smith

    New York Knicks guard who won the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year award and later the 2016 title with Cleveland.
    382pts
27. 27
    Montrezl Harrell

    Energetic Clippers big man whose 2019-20 bench scoring earned the Sixth Man trophy.
    382pts
28. 28
    Malcolm Brogdon

    2017 Rookie of the Year with Milwaukee who added Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 with Boston.
    382pts
29. 29
    Payton Pritchard

    Boston Celtics guard voted 2025 Sixth Man of the Year in his fifth season with the club.
    382pts
30. 30
    Jamal Crawford

    Scoring guard who won Sixth Man of the Year three times, in 2010 with Atlanta and in 2014 and 2016 with the Clippers.
    0pts
31. 31
    Leandro Barbosa

    Brazilian guard who won the 2007 Sixth Man of the Year award with Phoenix and the 2015 title with Golden State.
    0pts

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