Jamal Crawford named Sixth Man of the Year

The Los Angeles Clippers’ Jamal Crawford is the winner of the 2013-14 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award as the league’s best player in a reserve role, the NBA announced today. Crawford, who came off the bench in 45 of the 69 games in which he appeared, led all NBA reserves in scoring, averaging 18.6 points. Additionally, Crawford accounted for 3.2 apg and 2.3 rpg in 30.3 mpg for a Clippers team that went 57-25 and earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Crawford, who also won the award in 2009-10 while with the Atlanta Hawks, joins Kevin McHale, Ricky Pierce and Detlef Schrempf as two-time winners.  Crawford amassed 57 first-place votes and 421 total points from a panel of 125 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Taj Gibson of the Chicago Bulls finished second with 395 points (49 first-place votes) and Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs finished third with 138 points (nine first-place votes).

In order to be eligible for this award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Crawford tallied double-figure scoring efforts in 15-of-16 January games, as the Clippers posted a 12-4 record. On Jan. 25, Crawford poured in 37 points and handed out 11 assists in a 126-118 win over the Toronto Raptors. For the season, he posted 20-plus points 29 times and 30-plus points six times. The Clippers were 31-14 (.689) in games in which Crawford appeared off the bench.

As part of its support of the Sixth Man Award, Kia Motors America (KMA) will donate an all-new 2015 Kia Sorento LX CUV to United in Harmony, a non-profit dedicated to providing hope and opportunities to impoverished children, on behalf of Crawford. Kia Motors presented a Sorento to the charity of choice of each of the five 2013-14 year-end award winners as part of “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.”  Following this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 31 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA’s prestigious year-end honors began in 2008.

The 2013-14 Kia Sixth Man Award is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.”  The series, currently in its seventh season, is part of a multiyear marketing partnership between KMA and the NBA, and includes five of the league’s most prestigious year-end honors: Most Valuable Player Award, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man Award, Most Improved Player Award, and Rookie of the Year.  The series also includes the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month and the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month during the regular season.  Kia Motors is the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA and the Kia Optima is the league’s Official Vehicle.  For more information on “The Kia NBA Performance Awards” visit www.NBA.com/awards.

- NBA Press Release