Tinanghal ng NBA bilang KIA Sixth Man of the Year ang Filipino American player ng Utah Jazz na si Jordan Clarkson.
Liban kay Clarkson pumangalawa sa kanya ang ka-teammate na si Joe Ingles.
Makasaysayan ang nagawa ng dalawa dahil one-two finish ang nasungkit nila.
Si Clarkson din ang unang player sa franchise history ng Jazz na manalo ng naturang prestihiyosong award.
Ang 28-anyos na si Clarkson na ang ina ay isang Pinay, ay nakatipon ng 65 first-place votes (407 total points) mula sa 100 sportswriters at broadcasters sa iba’t ibang dako ng mundo.
Kabilang sa criteria ng Sixth Man Award, dapat ang isang player ay mas maraming inilaro para sa team na nagmula siya sa bench.
Batay pa sa NBA record ang scoring average ni Clarkson na 18.3 points kada game bilang reserve ay pinaka-highest sa liga.
Samantala nasorpresa pa si Clarkson nang ianunsiyo ang award habang guest siya at si Ingles sa isang NBA TV show.
Si Ingles na rin ang nag-abot ng award kay Clarkson.
“Thanks for passing me this ball man,” ani Clarkson kay Ingles.
Naglabas din naman ng press statement ang NBA kung bakit napili nila si Clarkson kung saan kabilang din sa finalist ay ang dating MVP na si Derick Rose, ang New York Knicks guard.
“Clarkson made a career-high 208 three-pointers overall (seventh in the NBA among all players) and a league-high 203 as a reserve. The 203 three-pointers are the fourth-highest single-season total off the bench in NBA history. He also ranked ninth in the NBA in free throw percentage this season (89.6),” bahagi ng NBA statement. “Playing his first full season with Utah and seventh in the NBA, Clarkson recorded two games with at least 40 points, five games with at least 30 points and 23 games with at least 20 points off the bench. He scored 40 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 15 and 41 points against the Golden State Warriors on May 10, giving him two of the five 40-point games off the bench in Jazz history.”
