FILE – De’Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after making a basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half at Golden 1 Center on March 27, 2023 in Sacramento, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox laid claim to the first-ever NBA Clutch Player of the Year award on Tuesday night.
The new award honors “the NBA player who best comes through for his teammates in the clutch.” Fox will receive the Jerry West Trophy, named after the Los Angeles Lakers legend, whose nickname was “Mr. Clutch.”
Fox was a runaway winner, raking in 91 of the 100 first-place votes from a media voting panel. Fox finished with 460 total points in voting; Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat (104 votes) was second and DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls (80) was third.
The 2022-23 Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year De'Aaron Fox's #KiaClutch mixtape! @Kia pic.twitter.com/5mViNmFpBA
— NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2023
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry received two first-place votes but finished ninth overall. No other player got more than one vote for first.
According to the NBA, Fox led the league with 194 points in clutch situations, defined as anytime the scoring margin of a game was within five points with five minutes or less remaining.
He had a league-leading three go-ahead field goals in the final second of the fourth quarter or overtime, most notably a buzzer-beater from near halfcourt to help the Kings beat the Orlando Magic 126-123 in overtime in November.
Fox was also named an All-Star for the first time in his sixth NBA season. He averaged 25.0 points, 6.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 73 starts and guided the Kings to their first playoff appearance since 2005-06, snapping the longest playoff drought in the four major professional sports leagues.