The "sixth man" is a term in basketball that refers most of the time to the best man off the bench. He doesn't start the game, but when a started comes off the court (except a center in most cases), the "sixth man" is the player the coach selects to put into the game. This is not a rule, but it is adopted by many coaches of the NBA. Below are some of the top sixth men of the 2001-2002 NBA season.
An award is also given every year to the best sixth man.