Victor Wembanyama had a year like no other rookie in NBA history.
Others have scored more points, or pulled down more rebounds, even recorded more blocked shots or steals. But there has never been a player who in the first year of his career recorded these averages: at least 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
Until now.
The highly anticipated result became a reality on Monday, when the French Spurs star was announced as the unanimous winner of the Rookie of the Year award. He is the third Spurs player to win it, joining David Robinson in 1990 and Tim Duncan in 1998 — both, like Wembanyama, were first overall picks and instantly established as centers who led San Antonio to greatness.
“My goals were always to help my team to the best of my ability as the year progressed,” Wembanyama said from San Antonio on TNT after the award was announced on the network during the pre-show of a playoff game. “I knew that to achieve this I had to be individually good on the court and dominant. So, it was a huge thing for me and a very important thing to achieve. “It has always been very important and I am glad that it is finally official.”
Wembanyama is the sixth player since the award began in the 1952-53 season to receive all first-place votes. He joins Houston’s Ralph Sampson (1984); Robinson (1990), of San Antonio; Blake Griffin, of the Los Angeles Clippers (2011); Damian Lillard, from Portland (2013); and Karl-Anthony Towns, of Minnesota (2016).
Chet Holmgren of Oklahoma City and Brandon Miller of Charlotte were the other finalists for the award. Wembanyama earned 99 first-place votes from a panel of reporters and broadcasters covering the league. Holmgren got 98 of 99 second-place votes and Miller got the other second-place vote to finish third.
Mexican Jaime Jaquez Jr., from Miami, was fourth, followed by Brandin Podziemski, from Golden State, and Dereck Lively II, from Dallas. No other rookie received a second or third place vote.
