NEW YORK, April 20, 2015 – The Toronto Raptors' Lou Williams, who averaged a career-high 15.5 points this season and helped Toronto win a franchise-record 49 games, is the winner of the 2014-15 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award as the league's best player in a reserve role, the NBA announced today. The 6-1 guard becomes the first Raptors player to earn the honor.
Williams, in his 10th NBA season and first with the Raptors, amassed 78 first-place votes and 502 total points from a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics finished second with 324 points (33 first-place votes), and two-time winner Jamal Crawford of the Los Angeles Clippers was third with 131 points (eight first-place votes).
Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote. To be eligible for the award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started.
Williams came off the bench in all 80 of his appearances and averaged 25.2 minutes. He led or tied for the team lead in scoring 18 times, second most in the league for a reserve, and the Raptors went 14-4 in those games. The 28-year-old also led the Raptors in free throw percentage (86.1) and made a career-high 152 three-pointers, nearly double his previous high of 88 set with the 76ers in 2010-11. On March 4, Williams set a Toronto record for points in a quarter with 21 in the fourth period against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As part of its support of the Kia Sixth Man Award, Kia Motors America (KMA) will donate an all-new and more capable than ever 2016 Kia Sorento LX CUV to The Remix Project -- which helps young people from disadvantaged communities who are trying to enter the creative industries or further their formal education -- on behalf of Williams. Kia Motors will present a Sorento to the charity of choice of each of five 2014-15 year-end award winners as part of the Kia NBA Performance Awards. After this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 38 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA's prestigious honors began in 2008.
The 2014-15 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award is part of the Kia NBA Performance Awards, a series of on-court performance awards. The series, in its eighth season, is part of a multiyear marketing partnership between KMA and the NBA, and includes five of the league's most prestigious year-end honors: Kia Most Valuable Player, Kia Defensive Player of the Year, Kia Sixth Man Award, Kia Most Improved Player and Kia Rookie of the Year. The series also includes the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month and the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month during the regular season. Kia Motors is the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA, and the Kia Optima is the league's Official Vehicle. For more information, please visit www.kia.com/NBA.
Below are the balloting results for the 2014-15 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.
Player | Team | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | Total Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lou Williams | Toronto | 78 | 34 | 10 | 502 |
Isaiah Thomas | Boston | 33 | 46 | 21 | 324 |
Jamal Crawford | L.A. Clippers | 8 | 18 | 37 | 131 |
Andre Iguodala | Golden State | 7 | 16 | 17 | 100 |
Tristan Thompson | Cleveland -- | 6 | 15 | 33 | |
Nikola Mirotic | Chicago | 1 | 4 | 7 | 24 |
Marreese Speights | Golden State | 1 | 2 | 9 | 20 |
Corey Brewer | Houston | 1 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
Manu Ginobili | San Antonio | -- | 3 | 3 | 12 |
Taj Gibson | Chicago | 1 | -- | 3 | 8 |
Aaron Brooks | Chicago -- -- | 1 | 1 | ||
Chris Kaman Portland | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | |
Anthony Morrow | Oklahoma City | -- | -- | 1 | 1 |
Dennis Schröder | Atlanta -- | -- | 1 | 1 |
Year | Player |
---|---|
1982-83 | Bobby Jones, Philadelphia 76ers |
1983-84 | Kevin McHale, Boston Celtics |
1984-85 | Kevin McHale, Boston Celtics |
1985-86 | Bill Walton, Boston Celtics |
1986-87 | Ricky Pierce, Milwaukee Bucks |
1987-88 | Roy Tarpley, Dallas Mavericks |
1988-89 | Eddie Johnson, Phoenix Suns |
1989-90 | Ricky Pierce, Milwaukee Bucks |
1990-91 | Detlef Schrempf, Indiana Pacers |
1991-92 | Detlef Schrempf, Indiana Pacers |
1992-93 | Clifford Robinson, Portland Trail Blazers |
1993-94 | Dell Curry, Charlotte Hornets |
1994-95 | Anthony Mason, New York Knicks |
1995-96 | Toni Kukoc, Chicago Bulls |
1996-97 | John Starks, New York Knicks |
1997-98 | Danny Manning, Phoenix Suns |
1998-99 | Darrell Armstrong, Orlando Magic |
1999-00 | Rodney Rogers, Phoenix Suns |
2000-01 | Aaron McKie, Philadelphia 76ers |
2001-02 | Corliss Williamson, Detroit Pistons |
2002-03 | Bobby Jackson, Sacramento Kings |
2003-04 | Antawn Jamison, Dallas Mavericks |
2004-05 | Ben Gordon, Chicago Bulls |
2005-06 | Mike Miller, Memphis Grizzlies |
2006-07 | Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix Suns |
2007-08 | Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs |
2008-09 | Jason Terry, Dallas Mavericks |
2009-10 | Jamal Crawford, Atlanta Hawks |
2010-11 | Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers |
2011-12 | James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder |
2012-13 | J.R. Smith, New York Knicks |
2013-14 | Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers |
2014-15 | Lou Williams, Toronto Raptors |