France's Victor Wembanyama named 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year

NEWS WIRES

6 May 2024 at 7:52 pm·2-min read

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama won the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year award, the league announced on Monday, marking the first time a Frenchman has captured the honor.

The 20-year-old center, a 7-foot-4 (2.24m) prodigy who was the top pick in last year's NBA Draft, averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, a league-high 3.6 blocked shots and 1.2 steals a game in his impressive debut campaign.

Wembanyama was a unanimous selection, taking all 99 first-place votes, the first unanimous top rookie pick since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016.

"My goals were always to have my team as best as I could and to get better as the year went on," Wembanyama told US NBA telecaster TNT.

"I knew that in order to do this I had to be individually good on the court and dominant so it was a huge thing for me, a big thing to get.

"It has always been really important and I'm glad it's finally official."

Chet Holmgren, a center for Western Conference champion Oklahoma City, was second and Charlotte's Brandon Miller third in the voting.

Dazzling debut season

While the Spurs struggled to a 22-60 record, second-worst in the Western Conference, "Wemby" became an NBA sensation with amazing feats, living up to his advance billing as a once-in-a-generation talent.

In late March, "Wemby" had a career-high 40 points with 20 rebounds in a victory over New York.

(AFP)

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Dazzling debut season

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