San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama unanimously won the NBA Rookie of the Year award on Monday, receiving all 99 first-place votes from a media panel. The French sensation joins a prestigious group of unanimous winners, including Ralph Sampson, David Robinson, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren emerged as a strong runner-up, securing 98 of the 99 possible second-place votes.
“My goals were always to help my team as best as I could and get better as the year went on,” Wembanyama said in an interview on TNT’s playoff pregame show. “I knew in order to do this, I had to be individually good on the court and dominant. So, it was a huge thing for me and a big thing to get. It’s always been really important, and I’m glad it’s finally official.”
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 the third member of the Spurs, joining franchise legends Robinson and Tim Duncan.
Wembanyama praised the Spurs and the support staff looking out for him as he moved from France to join the franchise.
“With no contest, it’s the best country in the world for an athlete,” Wembanyama said. “The culture, everything, the infrastructure, it’s made for us to thrive. I’m really in a bubble. I know I’m living a very privileged life as an NBA player, and there’s a lot of people taking care of me every day. This award is also for them.”
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.
