San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama vows to 'give back the love' after winning NBA Rookie of the Year award

French sensation Victor Wembanyama has been named NBA Rooke of the Year after an impressive debut season with the San Antonio Spurs.

The 7’ 4” forward-center was the unanimous choice, earning all 99 first-place votes from the media panel selecting the winner.

That made Wembanyama the first unanimous victor of the award since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015/16, while he is also the first French player to win it.  

“I just heard the results for Rookie of the Year, so wanted to thank you guys again for this incredible season and the support throughout the whole year,” Wembanyama said in a video on the Spurs’ social media channels.

“It was incredible to be able to live this and I promise we’re going to be better, we’re going to work to win as soon as possible and give back the love.”

The 20-year-old was the No.1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and has lived up to the hype despite a difficult season for his new side.

He finished the regular season averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.6 blocks, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

That put him top of the rankings among rookies for points, rebounds and blocks, while he was second for steals and fourth for assists.

His blocking average was the best among all NBA players, making him only the second rookie ever to achieve the feat after Manute Bol in 1985/86.

The impressive stats came despite the Spurs finishing second-bottom in the Western Conference with a 22-60 record.

Wembanyama is only the third San Antonio player to scoop the prestigious award, which has been running since 1952, following in the footsteps of David Robinson in 1990 and Tim Duncan in 1998.

Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder came second, while the Charlotte Hornets’ Brandon Miller was third.

Jaime Jaquez Jr of the Miami Heat was fourth, Brandin Podziemski of the Golden State Warriors fifth and Dereck Lively II of the Dallas Mavericks sixth.

Wembanyama’s totals for his maiden NBA season were 1522 points, including 128 3-pointers, 254 blocks, 274 assists and 755 rebounds.

The NBA playoffs are currently at the Conference semi-final stage, with the Minnesota Timberwolves leading champions the Denver Nuggets 2-0, while the Thunder and the Mavs are set to face off in the Western Conference.

In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks lead the Indiana Pacers 1-0 and the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers are yet to play.

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