Lou Williams reveals why he believes he’s the best sixth man in NBA history. The Hawks veteran also talks about his Hall-Of-Fame case.
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Lou Williams has been one of the league’s best guards as soon as he set foot on the NBA hardwood as a young 19-year-old kid. Playing alongside the guidance of the great Allen Iverson early on in his career, then with Kobe Bryant for a short stint, Lou-Will really developed into a gifted offensive scorer through the years.
Without a doubt, Lou is one of the greatest sixth men in league history. The 6-foot-1 guard took on and embraced the position of the sixth man very early on in his career, and needless to say, he has found immense success playing off the bench.
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Sparking energy from the bench, the 35-year-old has been an offensive threat. Averaging 14.3 points, 3.4 assists, 2.2 rebounds on 24.6 minutes per game throughout his 17 years in the league, Lou has managed to win 3 Sixth Man of the Year trophies (tied with Jamal Crawford for the most in NBA history).
“Don’t know if anybody embraced coming off the bench the way I did”: Lou Williams
Recently, in an interview with Bleacher Report, Lou Williams made a bold take deeming himself as the best sixth man the league has ever witnessed.
“Do you think when it’s kind of all said and done, you’ll go down as the best sixth man of all time?”, host Taylor Rooks asked.
Lou: “I think so.”
Rooks: “What makes you say that?”
Lou: “The numbers. Lifestyle. I made it acceptable for young kids to look at somebody and have an example of somebody that took up positions they were given and made the best out of it and made it look cool.”
“I don’t know if anybody else embraced coming off the bench and being the sixth man the way that I did and turned it into a lifestyle. And so, I got the numbers to back it up. I have the records to back it up. Have the trophies to back it up. So yeah I say that with a lot of confidence.”
Not only the best sixth man of all time, but he also spoke about his Hall-Of-Fame case “being the best at his job”. The combo-guard continued.
“I feel like, you know, I put myself in a position possibly be a Hall-Of-Famer at some point based on being the best at my job.”
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While it is bold of him to name himself as the best sixth man of all time, Lou definitely has a strong case for the same. Averaging 19.3 points, 4.2 assists on 42.1% shooting during his 3 Sixth Man of the Year campaigns (2015, 2018, 2019), “Sweet Lou” is one of the only few players with 15,000+ career points while coming off the bench.
