TORONTO — What started as a song has become reality for Raptors guard Lou Williams.

Williams won the NBA Sixth Man Award on Monday, honored as the league’s best reserve after averaging a career-best 15.5 points in his 10th season and helping Toronto win a franchise-record 49 games.

“It couldn’t happen at a better time for me,” Williams said as he picked up the award in a ceremony at a downtown hotel with several teammates, his mother, brother, two daughters and his former high school coach watching. “Everything is right in the world.”

Williams was mentioned in the lyrics of the song “6 Man” by Toronto rapper Drake, who is also the Raptors’ global ambassador. The song came out in February, right around the NBA’s All-Star weekend.

“Drake got it right,” Raptors forward Patrick Patterson said. “He made the song for a reason. He predicted the future.”

The first Raptor to win the award, Williams received 78 first-place votes and 502 points from a panel of 130 sports writers and broadcasters throughout the U.S. and Canada. Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics finished second with 324 points (33 first-place votes). Two-time winner Jamal Crawford of the Los Angeles Clippers was third with 131 points (eight first-place).