Victor Wembanyama’s, NBA Rookie of the Year, scouting profile seemed like a fantasy: a towering 7-foot-4 Frenchman, possessing the agility and sharpshooting skills of a guard along with a formidable presence in the paint defensively. As the San Antonio Spurs’ number one draft pick, Wembanyama entered the NBA amidst colossal expectations and quickly became one of the league’s top attractions from the outset.
Despite the disappointing season the Silver and Black had collectively, Remarkably, Wembanyama met these high expectations head-on. Thus, it was no surprise when he was named the unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year, receiving all 99 first-place votes from the media on Monday. He became only the sixth player in league history to achieve such a distinction, joining the ranks of Ralph Sampson, David Robinson, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren was the runner-up, securing 98 of the 99 possible second-place votes. Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller came in third, receiving the remaining second-place vote and 83 third-place votes.
He joins David Robinson (1990) and Tim Duncan (1998) as the only Spurs players to win the award.
“My goal is always to have my team the best that I could and get better as the year went on,” Wembanyama said on TNT following the announcement. “I knew that in order to do this, I had to be individually good on the court and dominant. 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.”
