Jordan Clarkson's family was on hand to celebrate after the Utah Jazz guard won the NBA's Sixth Man award.
Clarkson learned of his achievement while being interviewed, with his teammate Joe Ingles personally handing him the trophy. Ingles came in second place, followed by New York guard Derrick Rose.
"It's been a journey… (it) came as a surprise to me," Clarkson said of the award.
The Filipino-American guard led all reserves in scoring with an 18.4 points per game average. He also tallied 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for the Jazz, where he came off the bench in 67 of 68 games.
Clarkson is the first Jazz player to win the Sixth Man trophy.
Making the day all the more special for Clarkson was that he got to celebrate with his family, including his father and mother, after he received the trophy.
His father, Mike Clarkson, expressed his pride at the milestone that Jordan had reached.
"From his humble beginnings, many in San Antonio, Texas know of his arduous journey and commitment to succeed. As I always say, everyone has a story. Only you can write your ending. Reach for the stars, commit yourself entirely and make the sacrifice necessary to make your dream a reality," he said.
"Thank you to the Utah Jazz organization, Coach Snyder and the coaching staff, teammates and the Salt Lake City community."
Clarkson said that to have his family with him was "definitely amazing."
"They've been with me through this whole process, as a family we stuck together, stayed strong. They've been through every moment, really, of my life, my ups and downs," he said.
"For them to be even at the games, watching, supporting, seeing how far I've come, as a man, as a player, as a human, it's just a great, great feeling. I'm gonna continue to try to represent and do great things," he vowed.
Clarkson and the Jazz return to action on Thursday for Game 2 of their Western Conference first round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Memphis won the series opener, 112-109, on Monday.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: