Nuggets shut out of another award, Hardaway finishes third for Sixth Man

Add another to the pile of missed trophies.

Tim Hardaway Jr. finished third in voting for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award on Wednesday, the latest awards-season miss for the Denver Nuggets. San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson took home the honor with 404 total points, followed by Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. with 331 and Hardaway with 45.

Hardaway was named on 45 ballots overall but did not receive a first-place vote. Johnson, who played in all 82 regular-season games and averaged 13.2 points off the Spurs’ bench, collected 63 first-place nods.

The third-place finish closes the door on what’s shaping up to be a frustrating time for Denver on the awards circuit. Jamal Murray lost Clutch Player of the Year to Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Tuesday, and Nikola Jokic is expected to finish behind Gilgeous-Alexander in MVP voting for the second consecutive season when that award is announced.

Still, Hardaway’s nod as a finalist capped a productive first year in Denver. The veteran sharpshooter led the league in made 3-pointers off the bench, tallying more than 200 on nights he didn’t start, and finished fourth in the NBA in total points scored off the pine.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, will turn their full attention to the postseason, where they’ll look to collect the only piece of hardware that still matters.

A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the 2025-26 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/tVxTUuzueu

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 22, 2026

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