Griffin voted top rookie

ByReuters

Updated 04/05/2011 at 23:38 GMT

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, whose soaring dunks became staples of nightly highlight shows, has been named NBA Rookie of the Year as the first unanimous choice in 21 years.

BASKETBALL 2011 Blake Griffin

Image credit: AFP

Griffin, selected first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft but absent the entire 2009-10 season due to a stress fracture in his left knee, averaged 22.5 points a game, 12.1 rebounds, and registered a massive 63 double-doubles.

The high-jumping forward was the only NBA player this season to average at least 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists, and swept 118 first-place votes cast by sportswriters and broadcasters in the United States and Canada.

Washington's John Wall finished a distant second while Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins was third in the voting.

NBA