The National Basketball Association (NBA) is often hailed as one of the most intense and popular basketball leagues in the world and is followed by millions of basketball aficionados from all over the world. The glorious and star-studded history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which spans over decades, has witnessed numerous legendary and iconic basketball players, including LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kevin Durant and many others who have displayed their unbeaten master moves on the court and have successfully led their teams to glorious victories.
Interestingly, over the past few decades, the “sixth men” of the National Basketball Association (NBA) have also left the fans stunned with their dominant moves on the court against the most seasoned players in the league. Although often underrated, the sixth men play a crucial role in maintaining the momentum of the game when the starters take a brief break from the game. In order to recognise their exceptional skill set, the National Basketball Association (NBA) honours the best player of the season with the prestigious NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
In this article we will take a look at the top four greatest sixth men of all-time in the decades-old history of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
NBA: Top 4 Sixth Men Who Changed the Game Off the Bench
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Kevin McHale
The legendary American former professional basketball player Kevin McHale, who is also often popularly referred to by his nickname “the Torture Chamber”, is at the first spot in our list of the top four NBA players who changed the game despite being the sixth man. Widely regarded as one of the most influential and successful power forwards of all-time by millions of basketball aficionados from all over the world, Kevin McHale played a record total of thirteen NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics and averaged 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 971 regular-season games.
In the initial phase of his career with the Boston Celtics, Kevin McHale played as a sixth man and was mostly seen as a backup to Cedric Maxwell at power forward. Kevin McHale proved his calibre and left the fans stunned whenever he came off the bench and outplayed starters with his dominant post moves and defense.
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Jamal Crawford
At the second spot on our list of the top four greatest sixth men of all-time in the decades-old history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), we have another legendary American former professional basketball player, Jamal Crawford, who is widely regarded as one of the finest and greatest ball handlers of all-time.
Often also popularly referred to by his nickname “J-Crossover” in the world of professional basketball, Jamal Crawford played a phenomenal total of twenty seasons in the National Basketball Association for numerous prominent teams including Chicago Bulls (2000-04), New York Knicks (2004-08), Golden State Warriors (2008-09), Atlanta Hawks (2009-11), Portland Trail Blazers (2011-12), Los Angeles Clippers (2012-17), Minnesota Timberwolves (2017-18), Phoenix Suns (2018-19) and Brooklyn Nets (2020). Jamal Crawford, often regarded as one of the most influential shooting guards in the history of the game, was awarded the prestigious NBA Sixth Man of the Year award thrice in the years 2010, 2014 and 2016.
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Manu Ginòbili
Next, at the second spot in our list of the top four NBA players who changed the game despite being the sixth man, we have the iconic Argentine former professional basketball player Manu Ginòbili, who played majorly as a shooting guard throughout his successful NBA career that lasted from 1995 to 2018. Manu Ginòbili clinched the prestigious championship title a record total of four times in the years 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.
Additionally, playing for some of the most popular NBA teams of all-time, Manu Ginòbili also proved his unwavering potential as the sixth man and often changed the course of the game coming off the bench. Manu Ginòbili left the fans absolutely stunned and clinched the prestigious NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 2008. The legendary Argentine former professional basketball player Manu Ginòbili undoubtedly played a crucial role in revolutionising the stature of the sixth man among the hardcore fans of the National Basketball Association.
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Lou Williams
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four greatest sixth men of all-time in the decades-old history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), we have the legendary American former professional basketball player Lou Williams, who earned enormous fame after being drafted directly out of high school by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 45th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
Throughout his glorious NBA career that lasted between 2005 and 2022, Lou Williams played for numerous prominent teams, including Philadelphia 76ers (2005-2011), Atlanta Hawks (2012-2014), Toronto Raptors (2014-2015), Los Angeles Lakers (2015-2017), Houston Rockets (2017), Los Angeles Clippers (2017-2021) and Atlanta Hawks (2021-2022). Lou Williams played the majority of NBA games of his career off the bench and proved to be one of the most reliable and successful sixth men in the history of the National Basketball Association. Moreover, Lou Williams was also honoured with the coveted NBA Sixth Man of the Year award thrice in the years 2015, 2018 and 2019, speaking volumes about his dominance in the game as a sixth man.
