UCLA Basketball: 2 Ex-Bruins Finished in Top 10 of 2024 Sixth Man of the Year Voting

Two former UCLA basketball standouts finished in the top-10 of voting for the 2024 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. Both Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Russell Westbrook received votes for the award, as Jaquez finished tied for ninth with one third place vote while Westbrook tied for seventh as he earned two third place votes.

Minnesota Timberwolves big man Naz Reid won the award with 352 total points after earning 45 first-place votes, 39 second-place votes, and 10 third-place votes. He averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game this season. Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk finished second with 342 total points, and Milwaukee Bucks power forward/center Bobby Portis Jr. finished third with 81 total points.

Westbrook has transitioned to a role of coming off the bench over the last couple of seasons, and started just 11 games this season. He averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game this season for the Los Angeles Clippers. Prior to his stellar NBA career in which he was the league's MVP in 2017 and was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, Westbrook starred for the Bruins from 2006-08.

At UCLA, Westbrook was the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 and helped lead the Bruins to the NCAA Final Four during each of his two seasons in Westwood. Westbrook and his wife Nina, who starred for the UCLA women's basketball team, regularly have returned to their alma mater to attend basketball games.

Meanwhile Jaquez is just getting started in the NBA after he was drafted 18th overall last year by the Miami Heat. Jaquez started in just 20 games while primarily coming off the bench and averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game during his rookie season. He was also the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in both November and December, and finished fourth in the NBA Rookie of the Year award voting. He entered the NBA after four years at UCLA, helping the Bruins make the NCAA Final Four in 2021, and winning the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2023.

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