A number of the individual awards the NBA hands out each season are named after famous players and contributors from the past. For example, the NBA Finals MVP is named after Bill Russell and the Western Conference finals and Eastern Conference finals MVPs are named after Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, respectively.
The Sixth Man of the Year award isn’t named after anyone, and former Los Angeles Lakers guard Lou Williams feels his name should be in the name of the award. If he doesn’t receive the honor, he would love to see the award named after Jamal Crawford or Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili.
“That would be an honor. If not me, Jamal. If not Jamal, Manu. I think we’re three guys that championed that. We made it a lifestyle. We made it something that younger guys coming into the league, if they’re not going to be superstars, not going to be All-Stars, they still have a position to make their mark on the game. That would be a huge honor. So I’m not fighting. I’m not saying, ‘No, it shouldn’t be named after me,’ I would definitely love that. But if not me, definitely Jamal. If not Jamal, definitely Manu.”
For much of his 17-year career, Williams was instant offense personified off the bench. He was an expert at drawing fouls, as well as a pretty potent 3-point shooter.
Williams played one-and-a-half seasons with the Lakers, starting in the 2015-16 campaign until he was traded midway through the following season.
