Jamal Crawford (Photo : Getty Images/Doug Pensinger)
Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford won the 2015-16 NBA Sixth Man Award on April 19, Tuesday. Crawford became the first player to win the award three times and can be considered as one of the best bench guys in NBA history.
"I've never cheated the game. I've played every single day of my life. I dreamed about being in this position," Crawford said at a press conference via ESPN.
The 36-year-old also became the oldest player to win the Sixth Man Award. Golden State Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala was second in the voting while Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter came in at third.
Crawford averaged 14.2 points and 2.3 assists per game this season while shooting 90.4 percent from the free throw line. He previously won the Sixth Man Award in 2010 with the Atlanta Hawks and in 2014 with the Clippers.
"JCrossover" started his career with the Chicago Bulls before making a name with the New York Knicks. However, it is his time with the Hawks that he realized being a sixth man was the best role for him in the NBA. He has career averages of 15.5 points, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game.
Crawford received a lot of congratulations from his peers in the league after winning his third Sixth Man Award. His teammate Chris Paul praised him and called Crawford one of the best bench guys in NBA history, as tweeted by Joven Buha of FOX Sports.
@jovanbuha Manu would like a word...
— Prime Sabonis (@PrimeSabonis) April 18, 2016
Only two other players have multiple Sixth Man awards in their careers, Kevin McHale and Detlef Schrempf. McHale was the first player from the bench during his early years with the Boston Celtics but was later a staple in the starting lineup for the rest of his career.
McHale became one of the greatest players ever and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. On the other hand, Schrempf was a good sixth man for a better half of his career with a career average of 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
Many experts and analysts are divided on who is the greatest sixth man in the history of basketball. In a list made by Hoops Habit, John Havlicek was named the greatest sixth man of all time followed by McHale and Manu Ginobili.
Other players who made the list include Crawford, Bobby Jones, Michael Cooper, Jason Terry and Dell Curry. Watch the video below for some the highlights of the career of "JCrossover."
