San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was voted NBA Rookie of the Year in a unanimous decision on Monday.
The French star received all 99 first-place votes from a media panel voting on the award, joining Ralph Sampson, David Robinson, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns as unanimous winners of the award. Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren was a strong runner-up by receiving 98 of a possible 99 second-place votes.
Wembanyama lived up to the hype surrounding him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocked shots and 1.2 steals in 71 games. His 254 total blocks led the league.
Wembanyama led all NBA rookies in points, rebounds and blocks along with double-doubles (43) and triple-doubles (two). He became the youngest player in league history to post a 5×5 when he had 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five blocks and five steals against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 23.
Wembanyama became the first player in NBA history to tally 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 250 assists, 250 blocked shots and 100 3-pointers in a season.
He is the first player from France to win the award and third member of the Spurs, joining franchise legends David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
Charlotte’s Brandon Miller (86 total points, including one second-place vote), Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. (10 points), Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski (four points) and Dallas’ Dereck Lively II (one point) also received votes.
–Field Level Media
