Kings' De'Aaron Fox named first ever Clutch Player of Year

Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox was named the runaway winner of the NBA's inaugural Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year Award Tuesday night, capping a stellar season for the sixth-year guard, who has played a huge part in Sacramento's dramatic resurgence this season.

Fox earned 91 out of 100 possible first-place votes and 460 out of a possible 500 total points to cruise to the award, which he'd been seen as the massive favorite to win. He was followed in the voting by Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (one first-place vote, 104 total points) and Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (80 total points).

Several players received a first-place vote for the inaugural award, including New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who received two first-place votes.

Fox, who led the NBA in clutch scoring with 194 total points, spearheaded countless late-game surges this season, propelling Sacramento to not only its first playoff berth in nearly 20 years but the third overall seed in the Western Conference. His late-game heroics have since staked Sacramento to a 2-0 lead in its best-of-seven first round series against their Northern California rivals, and the NBA's defending champions, the Golden State Warriors.

«You can't be afraid to fail,» Fox said on the TNT broadcast of the announcement. «Obviously, you're not going to make every shot, but my teammates, my coaches, they put me in position to succeed. So the least I can do is have confidence in myself to take good shots.»

It was a career-year for Fox this season,