San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday, getting more votes than Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat and Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Denver Nuggets.
Johnson played in all 82 regular-season games for the Spurs off the bench. Despite winning the award, some people didn’t agree with the decision at all.
Spurs’ Keldon Johnson Comes Under Fire From NBA World
Nic Rohloff, who is an on-air host for Chat Sports and the Miami Heat Report, was not happy with Johnson being recognized. Rohloff posted on X, “That’s some bulls**t. Not even close as good of a season/impactful as Jaime Jaquez.”
One influencer posted on X, “This might’ve been the worst 6MOY race ever.”
This might’ve been the worst 6MOY race ever https://t.co/L9A4GHhSuT
— OG Anunoby Addict (@PlayoffBoundNYK) April 22, 2026
Another influencer shared his own comments on Johnson outdueling Jaquez for the NBA honor, including a side-by-side comparison of Johnson’s and Jaquez’s regular-season statistics.
“This award is such a joke, bro lmao,” they wrote.
This award is such a joke bro lmao https://t.co/8BmtHfFkTQ pic.twitter.com/MmIOD08nA9
— Bones🦴 (@bonesy) April 22, 2026
Another user posted his thoughts on the Sixth Man of the Year Award on X: “Award so a** he just begged, and they gave it to him.”
Heat Nation, a fan page dedicated to Miami, stated on X what it thought about Jaquez not winning: “Jaime Jaquez Jr was robbed.”
Jaime Jaquez Jr was robbed ✌️✌️✌️ https://t.co/vtmyIAf19B
— 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) April 22, 2026
During the 2025-26 NBA regular season with the Spurs, Johnson averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Johnson shot 51.9% from the floor and 36.3% from beyond the 3-point arc.
As for Jaquez, he averaged 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game for the Heat. Jaquez, who is in his second season with the Heat, shot 50.7% from the floor and 31.7% from beyond the 3-point arc for Miami. Besides those statistics, Jaquez led all NBA reserves in scoring and double-digit games.
Hardaway led reserves with 205 3-pointers and was fourth in the NBA in scoring off the bench.
Johnson is helping the Spurs in their Western Conference first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, which is tied at 1-1 after Victor Wembanyama’s concussion. The Heat lost to the Charlotte Hornets 127-126 in the NBA Play-In Tournament, ending their season.
