The greatest sixth man from each NBA team

Greatest sixth man in Indiana Pacers history: Detlef Schrempf

Only twice in the history of the Sixth Man of the Year award has a player won in back-to-back seasons. Kevin McHale accomplished the feat in the mid-1980s, and forward Detlef Schrempf won twice for the Indiana Pacers in 1991 and 1992.

At the time only a handful of European players dotted NBA rosters, and Schrempf made it clear he belonged with a productive 17-year career. The native of Germany began his career in Dallas before spending four-and-a-half seasons with the Pacers.

Schrempf played in 240 of a possible 246 games from 1989-1992 in Indiana, starting in just 25 of those. Despite not starting he averaged at least 32 minutes per game in all three seasons, dropping over 16 points per game. His 1991-92 seasons saw him pour in 17.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, winning him his second consecutive Sixth Man of the Year award.

That season prompted the Pacers to move him into the starting lineup, where he qualified for his first All-Star Game in 1993. Schrempf would move on to Seattle and be a starter for the next stretch of his career. In 1999 he joined the contending Portland Trail Blazers and moved back to the bench for the final two seasons of his career.