Some doubt might have been there until February, but from the All Star Break onward, the victory of the Rookie of the Year by Victor Wembanyama has become increasingly obvious. The French phenom was honored tonight by the NBA at the end of a season closed with 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks, 1.2 steals, 46 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range.
Numbers that really had never been seen in history. Wembanyama, the first overall pick in the 2023 Draft, became the first player ever to collect at least 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 250 assists, 250 blocks and 100 triples in a single season. The Frenchman is the third Spurs player to win the ROY after David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
Wemby edged out the other two finalists, Chet Holmgren, second, and Brandon Miller, third. The San Antonio star scored 498 points in the voting, many more than Holmgren (295). Not only that: he got all the votes for first place, becoming the first Rookie of the Year unanimously by Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016. All results here.
Now Victor Wembanyama also hopes to win Defensive Player of the Year to be announced tomorrow: however, he will have to contend with Rudy Gobert. Should he triumph, he would become the first rookie in NBA history to be named Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2023-24 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year is… Victor Wembanyama!#NBAAwards | #KiaROY | @Kia pic.twitter.com/tgxkaeA1bS
– NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2024
Milan, Italy. A graduate in Labor Management and Communication for Organizations from Catholic University, I founded BasketUniverso in 2011. Yes, I root for Orlando Magic and do my best not to hide it.
