Keldon Johnson wins 2025-26 Sixth Man of the Year with 1,081

keldon johnson won the 2025-26 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award after scoring 1,081 bench points for the San Antonio Spurs. He became only the second Spurs player to take the honor, and his total set a new franchise mark for bench scoring.

Johnson and Ginobili

Johnson, 26, came off the bench in all 82 games and finished with 1,081 points in that role. That moved him past Manu Ginobili’s Spurs benchmark of 927 bench points from the 2007-08 season, the previous high for a Sixth Man campaign in San Antonio.

Ginobili was the last Spurs player to win the award, doing it in 2008. Johnson’s season pushed the franchise into a rare spot: two Sixth Man of the Year winners, separated by 17 years, with both built around scoring and steady production from the second unit.

Popovich's bench plan

Gregg Popovich played a central role in that shape. He identified Johnson’s potential early and positioned him as the team’s bench catalyst, a role Johnson filled with volume numbers that went beyond the award race.

He ranked second in the NBA among bench players with 414 total field goals made and added 440 total rebounds. Those are the kinds of totals that show how much San Antonio leaned on him every night, not just as a scorer but as a full-game presence while starting the bench unit.

Spurs reach 62-20

The Spurs reached the 2026 playoffs with a 62-20 record, and Johnson framed the award as a reflection of the work behind it. “I feel like it’s just a testament to the hard work, the dedication that I’ve had to myself, to doing what I love to do. It hasn’t always been easy.”

For San Antonio, the result is bigger than one trophy. Johnson’s numbers give the Spurs a clear benchmark for what their bench production looked like during a season that ended with 62 wins, and they now have a franchise record tied to the same player who became only the second Spur ever to win the league’s top reserve award.