By Greg Beacham
The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sacramento Kings guard Bobby Jackson won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award Tuesday.

Jackson, the Kings' offensive spark plug, is just the second point guard to win the award, joining Orlando's Darrell Armstrong in 1999.

After finishing second in the balloting last season behind Detroit's Corliss Williamson, Jackson received 52 of the 118 first-place votes from a panel of broadcasters and journalists.

"It's a great honor," Jackson said. "There are a lot of great athletes out there. It says a lot about this team. I could not have done it without them.

"We've got guys on this team who deserve a lot of awards, but our real focus is on winning an NBA championship."

Jackson got 362 points in the voting. Milwaukee shooting guard Michael Redd finished second with 257, and Utah forward Andrei Kirilenko was third with 127. Seven players received first-place votes, including Williamson and Golden State's 5-foot-5 Earl Boykins.

Jackson was the Kings' fourth-leading scorer, averaging a career-best 15.2 points for the two-time Pacific Division champions. He also recorded career bests in shooting percentage (46.4), free throw percentage (84.6) and 3-point percentage (37.9).

But Jackson's season was hardly a typical one for a sixth man.

He started 26 games for the Kings last fall while Mike Bibby missed the first seven weeks with a foot injury - but after a collision with Shaquille O'Neal on Christmas, Jackson missed the Kings' next 20 games with a broken hand.

Jackson's mother, Sarah, died during the season. Since then, he has worn an armband with her name on it.

"Once she died, I said I was going to dedicate everything to her," Jackson said. "Hopefully she is looking down on me, and sees what I have achieved."

Jackson has been the Kings' best reserve since returning from his injury. He spells Bibby and Doug Christie at both guard positions, and he's usually on the court in the closing minutes of tight games.

Not bad for a guard who's probably two inches shorter than his listed 6-foot-1 - and who was traded twice before Minnesota allowed him to leave three seasons ago as a free agent.

"Bobby made himself a heck of a player," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "It's gratifying seeing someone working that hard and getting rewarded."

Jackson is one of the Kings' leaders, with an exuberant locker room presence and a calming veteran influence. He's also known for his remarkable work ethic, both during and after practice. He credits his increased role with the Kings to that hard work.

"They see how hard I've worked in the summertime, shooting, playing and learning more about the game," Jackson said. "Every summer, I stayed in the gym and worked on things that people said I wasn't good enough at."

A six-year veteran, Jackson is one of several Kings still under contract for at least the next two seasons. After going 59-23 in the regular season, the Kings are one victory away from finishing their first-round playoff series with the Jazz and advancing to the conference semifinals for the third straight year.

Though Jackson could start for many teams, he says he prefers coming off the bench for an elite team with a shot at a title. Adelman credits Jackson's lack of selfishness on that issue for a portion of the Kings' success.

"It's a good role for the team, and for me," Jackson said. "Starting isn't a big deal. I'm more interested in finishing games."