Paul Pierce says the Sixth Man of the Year award should be named after Jamal Crawford

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce believes that the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award should be named after guard Jamal Crawford.

Crawford, who is one of the best bench players in NBA history, won the Sixth Man of the Year award three times in his NBA career. Crawford played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets in his 20-year NBA career.

Primarily a bench player, Crawford averaged 14.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 41.0 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from beyond the arc during his career.

He won the Sixth Man of the Year award for the first time in the 2009-10 season and then again in the 2013-14 campaign and 2015-16 season.

Pierce played against Crawford during his time in the NBA, and he clearly has immense respect for the legendary guard.

Arguably Crawford’s best season off the bench came in the 2009-10 campaign with the Hawks. He averaged 18.0 points per game and shot 38.2 percent from beyond the arc.

A knockdown shooter with crazy handles, Crawford was a nightmare for defenses for years.

It’s unclear if the NBA would consider changing the name of the Sixth Man of the Year award to honor Crawford, but it’s clear his peers have immense respect for what he accomplished during his career.