Victor Wembanyama Delivers On The Hype With Rookie of The Year Award

When the NBA announced this year's Rookie of The Year (ROY) winner, there was no suspense outside of what time the announcement would officially be made. Victor Wembanyama, who had one of the most impressive rookie seasons, put together a rookie season that makes it far to have conversations about him someday being considered one of the all-time greats.

On Monday, Wembanyama was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year, receiving all 99 first-place votes. Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and center for the Oklahoma City Thunder, came in second with 98 second-place votes.

Just like LeBron James during his rookie season, Wemby embraced the hype and delivered:
Wemanyama (2023-24): 21.4 PTS, 10.6 REB, 3.9 AST, 1.2 STL, 3.6 BLK
James (2003-04): 20.9 PTS, 5.5 REB, 5.9 AST, 1.6 STL, 0.7 BLK

Wemby now joins an elite group as the sixth unanimous Rookie of the Year in NBA history, alongside Ralph Sampson (1984), David Robinson (1990), Blake Griffin (2011), Damian Lillard (2013), and Karl-Anthony Towns (2016). He is also the third player from the San Antonio Spurs to win the award, following Robinson and Tim Duncan (1998).

What Does The Wemby Say?
"My goals were always to help my team as best as I could and get better as the year went on," Wembanyama said from San Antonio on TNT after the award was announced on the network's NBA playoff pregame show. "I knew in order to do this I had to be individually good on the court and dominant. So, it was a huge thing for me and a big thing to get. It's always been really important and I'm glad it's finally official."

"Physically, the work is never going to be done," Wembanyama said. "I've had my plan for months ready for all of my body and we're going to keep discovering new ways to get better and work on my body. For basketball, there's a lot I want to work on."

"At any point, I never thought I wasn't in the best situation. I wasn't in the best place," Wembanyama said on the final day of the season. "Of course, I wish we were into the playoffs and I wish I didn't lose 60 games, of course.

"But as much as it's hard today, I know it's for the long-term. I trust my teammates a hundred percent and I trust the project. So, it's really my confidence ... was never shaken at any point."