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The NBA Sixth Man of the Year is one of several awards handed out at the end of the regular season. It's usually given to the best player to come off the bench and is also called the John Havlicek Trophy since the 2022-23 season. It was won by Malcolm Brogdon last season.
Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams share the record for most Sixth Man of the Year award wins, with three each. Interestingly, both players won two of their awards as members of the LA Clippers. Williams took over Crawford's role when "JCrossover" was traded in 2017.
Five Hall of Famers have won the award – Bobby Jones, Kevin McHale, Bill Walton, Toni Kukoc and Manu Ginobili. The oldest player to win it is Crawford, who was 35 when he took it home in 2016.
However, who is the youngest player to win it? Let's look at the six players who won the Sixth Man of the Year before turning 25.
Six NBA players who won Sixth Man of the Year before turning 25
#1 Naz Reid, 24 (2024)
Naz Reid is the winner of the 2024 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award after his breakout season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Reid is just 24 and is one of the reasons why the Timberwolves are among the top teams in the West. He averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
#2 Tyler Herro, 22 (2022)
Before he turned into a star for the Miami Heat, Tyler Herro served as the sixth man in his first three seasons. Herro won the Sixth Man of the Year when he averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in the 2021-22 NBA season.
#3 James Harden, 22 (2012)
Some people might have forgotten it, but James Harden was a sixth man for the OKC Thunder before he became a franchise player for the Houston Rockets.
Harden won the award averaging 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. The Thunder traded him the next season because he wanted a max contract extension.
#4 Leandro Barbosa, 24 (2007)
"The Brazilian Blur" was one of the best sixth men in the league in the 2000s. Leandro Barbosa was a starter as a rookie in 2003 before transitioning to his new role for the Phoenix Suns. He had his best year in 2007 when he averaged 18.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
#5 Ben Gordon, 21 (2005)
The youngest player to win Sixth Man of the Year was Ben Gordon for the Chicago Bulls in 2005. Gordon was 21 when he averaged 15.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He's also the first player in NBA history to win the award as a rookie.
#6 Roy Tarpley, 23 (1988)
One of the stars for the Dallas Mavericks in the late 1980s, Roy Tarpley won the Sixth Man of the Year in 1988.
Tarpley averaged 13.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. The Mavericks were one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance, losing to the LA Lakers in seven games in the Western Conference finals.
