May 20, 2024, 02:24 pm (Eastern Time)
NEW YORK – Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs was a unanimous selection to the NBA All-Rookie team this season, the league revealed Monday.
It was no surprise, given that Wembanyama was also unanimously voted rookie of the year by the same panel of 99 voters who voted for the league’s awards this season.
Joining Wembanyama on the first team were Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets, Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat and Brandin Podziemski of the Golden State Warriors.
Holmgren, second to Wembanyama in the race for rookie of the year, was also unanimously voted to the first team.
Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs and Chet Holmgren of the Thunder were unanimous selections to the NBA All-Rookie team. (Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via /Keynote USA/Getty Images)
Miller, Jaquez and Podziemski placed third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in rookie of the year voting that was announced earlier this month. That was also the order in which the All-Rookie team voting ended, with Jaquez joining Wembanyama and Holmgren as the only players to appear on all 99 ballots.
Dereck Lively II of the Dallas Mavericks was a second-team All-Rookie selection, along with Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets, Keyonte George of the Utah Jazz, Cason Wallace of the Thunder and GG Jackson of the Memphis Grizzlies. Jackson earned last place by one vote over Trayce Jackson-Davis of the Warriors.
Featured
The All-Defensive team selections will be revealed on Tuesday and the All-NBA team will be revealed on Wednesday. Wembanyama is likely a first-team All-Defense player (he was No. 2 in the defensive player of the year race behind Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert) and surely earned All-NBA consideration as well.
If Wembanyama makes the All-Defense or All-NBA team, or both, he would be the first rookie to do so since two other San Antonio centers who, like him, were No. 1 overall Draft picks, Tim Duncan in 1998 and David Robinson in 1990.
Only five rookies have made All-Defense: Duncan, Robinson, Washington’s Manute Bol (1986), Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon (1985) and Milwaukee Bucks‘ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970).
And if Wembanyama makes All-NBA, he would be the 22nd rookie to do so in NBA history. Of them, only four have done so in the last 45 seasons: Duncan, Robinson, Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls (1985) and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics (1980).
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow @Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.