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1
Frank Ramsey (basketball)
Born
Red Auerbach is said to have invented the modern sixth man role for Ramsey in the 1950s Celtics: bring a starter-quality scorer on once opponents were tiring, so the drop-off never came. Ramsey won seven titles in that role and made the Hall of Fame. Everything else on this list starts from his idea that the bench could be a weapon rather than a place to rest.
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John Havlicek
Born
Havlicek took over Ramsey's role in Boston in the 1960s and was so good off the bench that he regularly played starter's minutes, with his tireless running wearing down opponents. His steal against Philadelphia in the 1965 Eastern final is one of the most famous plays in NBA history. He later became a starter and eight-time champion, but he showed how a sixth man could be a team's best player some nights.
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Kevin McHale (basketball)
McHale won the Sixth Man award in 1984 and 1985 while coming off the bench behind Larry Bird and Cedric Maxwell, and his post footwork was already among the best in the league. Boston won the 1984 title with him as the first big off the bench. He then started on the 1986 team often called one of the greatest ever, so his bench years show a future Hall of Famer accepting a role.
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Vinnie Johnson
Born
The Microwave heated up fast: Vinnie Johnson was Detroit's instant-scoring guard off the bench for the Bad Boys, and his jumper with 0.7 seconds left won Game 5 of the 1990 Finals and the title. His bursts let the Pistons rest Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars without losing scoring. The nickname tells you exactly what his role was and why opponents dreaded him.
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Bill Walton
Born
After injuries had wrecked his body, the former MVP joined Boston in 1985-86 and won the Sixth Man award as Robert Parish's back-up, playing a career-high 80 games. His passing from the high post and rebounding helped that team to the title. Walton's year is the best case of a fading star reinventing himself as an elite reserve for one perfect season.
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Detlef Schrempf
Born
The German forward won the Sixth Man award twice with Indiana, in 1991 and 1992, as a 6ft 10in player who could handle, pass and shoot. Coaches used him to change the size and spacing of a line-up in one substitution. He later became an All-Star starter in Seattle, but his Indiana years are when European versatility first looked like a bench advantage.
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Toni Kukoč
Born
Already a European champion with Jugoplastika Split, Kukoč joined Chicago and won the 1996 Sixth Man award on the 72-10 Bulls, a 6ft 10in forward who could run the offence. He gave Phil Jackson a playmaker on the second unit and won three titles. His passing out of the triangle is the reason to rewatch those second units.
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Manu Ginóbili
Born
Ginóbili accepted a bench role for most of his career even though he was good enough to start for anyone, and San Antonio won four titles with him finishing games. His Euro-step, now copied everywhere, and his left-handed passes made the second unit the Spurs' most unpredictable. He won Sixth Man in 2008 and was an All-Star, which shows how elite a bench player can be.
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Jason Terry
Born
The Jet was Dallas's sixth man and closer, winning the 2009 award and then scoring 27 points in the clinching Game 6 of the 2011 Finals against Miami. His pick-and-roll with Dirk Nowitzki was Dallas's late-game play. Terry is a great example of a bench guard trusted to finish games, not only to start second quarters.
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Lamar Odom
Odom was the Lakers' versatile sixth man during their 2009 and 2010 titles and won the award in 2011: a 6ft 10in forward who could handle in transition, defend several positions and rebound. He let Phil Jackson play big or small without changing the offence. His bench role gave the Lakers a third star-level contributor behind Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
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James Harden
Born
Before he became an MVP starter in Houston, Harden won the 2012 Sixth Man award for Oklahoma City, running the second unit's pick-and-roll beside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the Thunder reached the Finals. His bench year shows a future primary star learning to create in a limited role. It is also a lesson in how hard it is to keep a sixth man that good.
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Jamal Crawford
Born
Crawford won Sixth Man of the Year three times, with Atlanta and twice with the Los Angeles Clippers, on the strength of a handle that broke down defenders one on one. He is the bench scorer as entertainer, but his value was concrete: second units could get a basket without a set play. He also holds the record for four-point plays, a quirky measure of his shot-making.
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Lou Williams
Born
Lou Williams shares the record of three Sixth Man awards with Crawford and retired as the NBA's leading bench scorer. Toronto fans remember his 2015 award season with the Raptors; with the Clippers he formed a pick-and-roll with Montrezl Harrell that carried second units. His tricky drives and foul-drawing showed how a reserve can be the go-to scorer in closing minutes.
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Dearica Hamby
Born
Hamby was the WNBA's Sixth Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020 with Las Vegas, an energetic forward who rebounded, ran and scored inside off the bench. Her buzzer-beating three to win a 2019 playoff game is her signature moment. Later she became an All-Star starter for Los Angeles, and she has spoken publicly about pregnancy discrimination, which matters to new fans too.
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Payton Pritchard
Born
Pritchard was Boston's spark off the bench in the 2024 title run, hitting a long buzzer-beater in the Finals, and won the 2025 Sixth Man award after setting a record for threes by a reserve in a season. He is small for the role but relentless, pushing pace and spacing the floor around Boston's stars. A modern example of a late first-round pick who grew into a defined bench weapon.
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Keldon Johnson
Born
Keldon Johnson won the 2026 Sixth Man of the Year after breaking Manu Ginóbili's Spurs record for bench points in a season, a former starter who accepted a reserve role as San Antonio built around Victor Wembanyama. His downhill drives and physicality give the second unit a different speed. He is only the second Spurs player to win the award, after Ginóbili himself.
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Janelle Salaün
Born
The French forward was the first unanimous WNBA Sixth Player of the Year in 2026, setting a league record with 509 points off the bench and leading all reserves in scoring as the Golden State Valkyries went on to win the title. Her size and shooting let the Valkyries keep their level when starters sat. She is the newest name on this list and one to follow.
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