LaMelo Ball Wins NBA Rookie of the Year
Beating Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton for the top spot.
LaMelo Ball is proving he is more than just a newcomer. The NBA has announced that the Charlotte Hornets guard is the recipient of the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year award, making him only the third Hornets player to receive the annual award.
Ball garnered 84 first-playce votes, earning a total of 465 total points from a global panel made up of 99 broadcasters and sportswriters. He beats out Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwords who received 15 first-place votes and Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Though he was injured for a portion of the regular season, Ball averaged a total 15.7 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.59 steals in 51 games. He has started in 31 of those games and leads all rookies in both assists and steals. He currently ranks second in points and rebounds. He joins illustrious basketball icons like Magic Johnson, Chris Paul and Ben Simmons as the seventh rookie to average at least 15.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.50 steals.
Early this season, Ball at 19-years-old became the youngest player in the history of the NBA to hit a triple-double, scoring 22 points, making 12 rebounds and 11 assists against the Atlanta Hawks on January 9, 2021. In just his third career start, he recorded a career-high of 34 points, eight assists and zero turnovers. Despite missing 21 games due to his wrist injury, he still finished the regular season with the second-most assists at 313 and third-most threes at 92 made by a rookie in Charlotte Hornets history.
It’s officially official. @MELOD1P IS YOUR 2020-21 @NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR! 🕺 🛸 💕
🔗: https://t.co/B1enxDPYEu pic.twitter.com/fnpe3tk7Pt
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) June 16, 2021
In other NBA news, here are the five biggest all-NBA team snubs of the 2020-21 season.
