NBA Sixth Man of the Year Odds & Favorites for 2026

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year for the 2024-25 regular season.

A fifth-year reserve guard, Pritchard averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 28.4 minutes per game. He shot a career-best 47.2% from the field, including 40.7% from 3-point range.

Pritchard, who was a 100/1 long shot entering the season, was someone I recommended in my original write-up of the 6MOY odds because he profiled similarly to recent winners.

There is no following that up, but here’s a look at the latest NBA odds for the Sixth Man of the Year race during the 2025-26 season:

Odds to Win NBA Sixth Man of the Year 2026

Who Will Win NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2026?

Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black share a spot at the top of this board as co-favorites to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. At +600, the implied probability is 14.29%.

Black’s climb to the top of the board came in mid-December. Jaquez had led this market on his own for several weeks before Black joined him. There have now been five different 6MOY favorites since the start of the season. Jaquez passed Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, who lasted a week as the front-runner after propelling past Portland Trail Blazers’ Jerami Grant.

All of this movement came after Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid started the season as the betting favorite. Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard opened as the front-runner to repeat.

Needless to say, this race remains wide open. But it’s crucial to remember that team success has become an underrated factor in winning the Sixth Man of the Year award.

In fact, the last five 6MOY winners have been on a team that won 52 or more games. That’s why voters ultimately favored Pritchard over Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley last year, despite the latter averaging two more points per game. The Celtics won 17 more games than the Pistons.

The Sixth Man of the Year award no longer goes to the best bench scorer in the league. Voters prioritize winning, which is why Reid won the award in 2023-24 for a Timberwolves team that won 56 games, and Malcolm Brogdon claimed the honor in 2022-23 for a 57-win Boston squad.

Simply put, it’s best to bet on reserves on elite teams. For the 2025-26 season, my list will include players on these teams:

• Thunder
• Nuggets
• Rockets
• Knicks
• Pistons

I’m open to adding more teams to this list, but I still believe Mitchell has a path to winning this award while playing for the best team in the sport.

In his second NBA season, Mitchell is averaging 14 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He moved back to the bench after Jalen Williams made his season debut.

As of this writing, here are Mitchell’s splits for the year:

• Starter (seven games): 30.4 minutes, 15.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists
• Reserve (19 games): 24.7 minutes, 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists

If Mitchell can maintain this level of impact as a reserve, I think he has a good chance of winning this award. He needs to be a reserve in more games than he was a starter to be eligible at the end of the year.

Prediction: Ajay Mitchell

NBA Sixth Man of the Year Voting, 2024-25

List of Sixth Man of the Year Winners

Who has the Most Sixth Man of the Year Awards in NBA History?

Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams hold the record for most Sixth Man of the Year awards in NBA history with three apiece.

• Jamal Crawford (2010, 2014, 2016)
• Lou Williams (2015, 2018, 2019)

Who Won NBA Sixth Man of the Year Last Year?

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard won NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award during the 2024-25 season, averaging 14.3 points per game on 47.2% shooting.

How Many Celtics Players Have Won NBA Sixth Man of the Year?

There have been four different Celtics players to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, led by two-time winner Kevin McHale.

• Payton Pritchard (2024-25)
• Malcolm Brogdon (2022-23)
• Bill Walton (1985-86)
• Kevin McHale (1984-85 & 1983-84)