Nothing highlights an NBA star’s greatness, and underscores their legendary status, more than when an award gets renamed in honor of their achievements in the game. Michael Jordan (MVP), the late Kobe Bryant (All-Star MVP), and more have been accorded that pedestal so far. When DeAndre Jordan suggested the honor for two of the best sixth men of all time, Patrick Beverley disagreed and quickly named his pick.
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On a recent Run It Back show episode, DeAndre and Lou Williams discussed the potential renaming of the Sixth Man of the Year trophy. Jordan felt it should be named after the two record holders — Williams and Jamal Crawford. Both players have won the 6MOY title thrice in their careers, making them strong candidates.
However, Beverley believes Manu Ginobili should be recognized as the best sixth man ever.
“Don’t yal ever disrespect Ginobili,” he responded on X.
don’t yal ever disrespect Ginobili https://t.co/WybziN9PST
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) December 12, 2024
Jordan, on his part, was so confident about his two picks for the honor that he even mentioned the order in which the names should appear on the trophy.
“You [Williams] and Jamal. I think they should name the trophy after [you two],” said Jordan. “It could be the ‘Louis-Crawford Sixth Man [of the Year] Award.”
Williams, though, wasn’t completely on board with the idea of sharing the trophy name with Crawford.
Comparing the careers of Williams, Crawford, and Ginobili
If we go by the number of times these players won the 6MOY, then Ginobili, with just one award in 2008, doesn’t come close to Williams and Crawford. However, there’s more to Manu than the award count. There are reasons why the Argentinian is widely regarded as the greatest sixth man in the history of the league.
To start with, he won four NBA titles in his career. Williams and Crawford, on the contrary, couldn’t win any. Ginobili made two All-Star appearances, two All-NBA Third Team selections, and was a part of the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. None of these honors feature on Williams’ or Crawford’s resume.
What sets Ginobili further apart is that he played a key role in the San Antonio Spurs’ four NBA titles from 2003 to 2014. He had a knack for being the crunch-time closer, and used to destroy oppositions with the second unit attack.
There’s certainly a strong case for Ginobili to be the name of the 6MOY trophy. However, it’s highly unlikely that the NBA would change the name anytime soon because they have already rechristened the trophy after John Havlicek from the 2022-23 season.
