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Ben Gordon will be given the NBA’s Sixth Man Award today during a news conference at the Berto Center, league sources confirmed.
Sixth Man will be Gordon’s only major award this season. Rookie of the Year will be announced Wednesday, but that trophy is expected to go to Gordon’s college teammate and roommate, Charlotte Bobcats power forward Emeka Okafor.
“I think either (award) is great,” Gordon said before Monday’s game. “I don’t know which one is better. I guess just to be getting an award period, I’ll be grateful. I’m sure whoever gets (Rookie of the Year), we’ll be happy for one another.”
Gordon will be the first rookie to win the honor as the league’s best player off the bench. The 6-foot-2 guard from Connecticut averaged 15.1 points during his first NBA season and quickly developed a reputation as one of the league’s best clutch scorers.
He scored 10 or more points in the fourth quarter 21 times. Among his memorable game-winning shots were a runner with 0.1 seconds on the clock to beat New York at Madison Square Garden 88-86 on Jan. 17 and a jumper with 5.8 seconds left that beat the Knicks 92-91 on April 19 and clinched homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Gordon, the No. 3 pick in last year’s draft, scored 30 points against Washington last week in his NBA playoff debut.
Toni Kukoc is the only other Bulls player to get the Sixth Man Award, which he won after the 1995-96 season.
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