How many NBA teams have had a player win Sixth Man of the Year?

An award honoring the best player off the bench each year in the NBA, the honor serves as a major accolade for blossoming stars and elite role players alike.

As the 2026 NBA Playoffs continue, results from this season’s award voting are being released one-by-one, giving both fans and players something extra to sink their teeth into this postseason.

Whether it’s the playoffs or award season, it’s been a great couple of weeks for fans of the San Antonio Spurs – who got to see Victor Wembanyama become the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year while Keldon Johnson won the Sixth Man of the Year all during an emphatic first round victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The award for Johnson speaks to the incredible depth the Spurs have showcased this year, escalating from a team completely out of the postseason all the way to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with a 62-20 regular season record.

First awarded after the 1982-83 season, the Sixth Man of the Year has become one of the league’s most recognizable and coveted awards, with fierce competition breaking out each year among the best bench players.

The history of the award’s winners reflect the wide variety of playstyles that fit into a team’s top bench role, ranging from the game-closing loads that Manu Ginobili and James Harden took on the year they won the accolade to the steady diet of bench play Lou Williams consistently got throughout the back end of his career.

As of the 2026 postseason, five previous winners of the Sixth Man of the Year have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, with 2012 winner James Harden a virtual certainty to be inducted following his eventual retirement.

The wealth has been decently spread among both teams and players over the years of the award, with Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford sharing the record for most Sixth Man of the Year wins with three. When it comes to teams, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers lead the way with five wins of the accolade.

The following six teams have yet to have a player win Sixth Man of the Year:

1. Brooklyn Nets
2. New Orleans Pelicans
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Washington Wizards
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
6. Golden State Warriors

As for the 24 teams that have had a player win the award at least once, here’s a look back at the last win for each club, beginning with the most recent occurrence:

1. San Antonio Spurs: 2025-26, Keldon Johnson
2. Boston Celtics: 2024-25, Payton Pritchard
3. Minnesota Timberwolves: 2023-24, Naz Reid
4. Miami Heat: 2021-22, Tyler Herro
5. Utah Jazz: 2020-21, Jordan Clarkson
6. Los Angeles Clippers: 2019-20, Montrezl Harrell
7. Houston Rockets: 2016-17, Eric Gordon
8. Toronto Raptors: 2014-15, Lou Williams
9. New York Knicks: 2012-13, J.R. Smith
10. Oklahoma City Thunder: 2011-12, James Harden
11. Los Angeles Lakers: 2010-11, Lamar Odom
12. Atlanta Hawks: 2009-10, Jamal Crawford
13. Dallas Mavericks: 2008-09, Jason Terry
14. Phoenix Suns: 2006-07, Leandro Barbosa
15. Memphis Grizzlies: 2005-06, Mike Miller
16. Chicago Bulls: 2004-05, Ben Gordon
17. Sacramento Kings: 2002-03, Bobby Jackson
18. Detroit Pistons: 2001-02, Corliss Williamson
19. Philadelphia 76ers: 2000-01, Aaron McKie
20. Orlando Magic: 1998-99, Darrell Armstrong
21. Charlotte Hornets: 1993-94, Dell Curry
22. Portland Trail Blazers: 1992-93, Clifford Robinson
23. Indiana Pacers: 1991-92, Detlef Schrempf
24. Milwaukee Bucks: 1989-90, Ricky Pierce