Victor Wembanyama has collected his first piece of season-long NBA hardware, and if his rookie season is any indication, there are plenty more accolades to come.
The San Antonio Spurs sensation was named the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday, beating out fellow finalists Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Wembanyama earned all 99 first-place votes for the award, making him the first unanimous winner since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015-16.
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski received four third-place votes en route to a fifth-place finish. Podziemski's four total voting points trailed Wembanyama (495), Holmgren (295), Miller (86) and the Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. (10).
Wembanyama was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and lived up to the hype in his first NBA season. The 7-foot-4 French phenom led all rookies in points per game (21.4) and rebounds per game (10.6) while also leading the NBA in blocks per game (3.6). He played 71 games for the Spurs, who missed the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 22-60 record.
Golden State Warriors
The 20-year-old picked up a handful of individual accolades during the season, too. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Month for January, February and March.
The Spurs have only had the No. 1 overall draft pick three times in history, and all three selections went on to win Rookie of the Year honors. Wembanyama joins Hall of Fame big men David Robinson (1989-90) and Tim Duncan (1997-98) in the group.
