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The 25 Greatest Sixth Men Of All Time

By Carter Johnson

Oct 28, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili (20) reacts after a shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 101-100. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili (20) reacts after a shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 101-100. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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20. Clifford Robinson, Portland Trail Blazers

14.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.4 BPG in 3 seasons as 6th Man

Accolades: 1X NBA Sixth Man of the Year (1992-93)

The Portland Trail Blazers of the early 1990s were one of the greatest teams never to win an NBA title.

Led by Hall of Famer Clyde “The Glide” Drexler and an outstanding supporting cast that included Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey, Danny Ainge, Kevin Duckworth and a young Drazen Petrovic to name a few, the team appeared in two NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992, losing to the Bad Boy Pistons and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

Though the majority of the Blazers’ success was due to a strong starting lineup, some credit is due to the stellar bench play of one Clifford Robinson.

Most only remember Cliff as the guy on the wrong end of MJ’s infamous “The Shrug” moment, but Robinson was actually quite the player.

Robinson was ahead of his time as a 6’10″, 225 pound stretch-4 with a silky smooth jumper, athleticism to run the floor and stellar shot-blocking ability. In his prime, he was a dominant post scorer who could also put the ball on the floor and stretch defenses with his range.

Robinson had stellar stats during his stint as a sixth man, but he earns a spot on this list for having one of the more dominant seasons a sixth man has ever had.

In the 1992-93 season, Uncle Cliffy posted 19.1 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game and two blocks per game on a shooting split of .473/.247/.690 on his way to earning the Sixth Man award that year.

Robinson would be promoted to the starting lineup the next season and go on a string of dominance the next three years as the team’s starting power forward, but his work as a sixth man – particularly in the 1992-93 season – make him a lock for this list.

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