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Victor Wembanyama (Source: X)
Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA with high expectations, and he delivered one of the finest rookie seasons the league has ever seen. In 71 games this season, Wembanyama averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks, and 1.2 steals. Shaquille O'Neal was the last player to average 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in a single season, doing it during his MVP season in 1999-2000.
The San Antonio Spurs' first overall choice entered his rookie season with some of the highest expectations we've ever seen for a rookie, and he was one of the NBA's greatest draws from the start. The Spurs were not bashful about assigning him a superstar's workload.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren placed second with 98 out of 99 potential second-place votes, while Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller ended third with the final second-place vote and 83 third-place votes.
Victor Wembanyama is the first overseas recipient of the award since Dallas' Luka Doncic in 2019, and the fifth in the past ten seasons. Andrew Wiggins (Canada) won in 2015; Karl-Anthony Towns (Dominican Republic) won in 2016, Ben Simmons (Australia) won in 2018, and Doncic won the following season.
Wembanyama became only the fourth player, and the first rookie, to finish a season with at least 1,500 points, 250 assists, and 250 blocks. The others: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it five times, Hakeem Olajuwon twice, and Robinson twice. Nobody had done it since Olajuwon and Robinson had seasons like this in 1993-94.
NBA MVP to delecare on Wednesday
The rookie award might be the beginning of a successful week for Wembanyama, who is also expected to place in the top three for Defensive Player of the Year. That award will be awarded on Tuesday, and the other contenders are Minnesota's Rudy Gobert and Miami's Bam Adebayo.
On Wednesday, the NBA will disclose the MVP, who may be Denver's Nikola Jokic, Dallas' Luka Doncic, or Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.