While NBA Awards such as Most Valuable Player and Best Scoring Player might get the lion’s share of attention from the media, for many fans, the most exciting accolade is that of Rookie Of The Year.
Although the term ‘rookie’ was first devised in 1868 to describe a new recruit, these days, it’s more commonly used in reference to a sportsperson in his or her first year in a major professional sport. As an NBA newbie, the Rookie Of The Year trophy is much coveted and one which has been held by some pretty big hitters over the years – let’s take a look at some of them:
1952-53 — Don Meineke, Fort Wayne Pistons, Rochester/Cincinnati Royals
The first ever winner of the Rookie season was Delaware born and bred Don ‘Monk’ Meineke. Known as much for his quick wit and smile as he was for his skill on the court, Don Meieke died in 2013 at the age of 82. During his career, the six foot seven Power Forward played for the Fort Wayne Pistons and the Rochester / Cincinnati Royals and, while with the pistons, one of the high points of his career was scoring 27 points against New York in 1952.
2003-04 – Lebron James, Cavaliers, Heat, Lakers
Ohio’s powerhouse, Lebron James, has played 18 NBA seasons and has averaged 27.0 points, 7.4 assists and 7.4 rebounds over 1310 regular season games. When Lebron won Rookie Of The Year for the 2003 / 2004 season, it provided some consolation for the fact that he was rather rudely excluded from the All Star Game.
Winning the Rookie Of The Year is a great star in anyone’s books and, needless to say, many of the recipients have gone on to great things, including:
Michael Jordan
1984-85 to 2003 – Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards
Brooklyn born Michael Jordan is probably one of the most famous names in NBA history and, during his 14 seasons, Michael was NBA champion six times over. He was also the recipient of the coveted Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player Of The Year Awards. Since retiring from the NBA, Michael Jordan has tried his hand at acting and, the former Shooting Guard is now owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets NBA team and the 23XI NASCAR racing team.
Great start, poor finish
Unfortunately, for some players, to win Rookie Of The Year Award is as good as it gets and, many a career has failed to really launch after winning this prestigious award. One of these players was….
2013-14 – 2018, Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks
After winning Rookie Of The Year in the 2013-2014 season, Michael Carter-Williams star soon began to wane. A poor performance saw the Bay Stater traded to Milwaukee Bucks who, after a continued downward spiral, also decided to pass on this once hugely promising player.
Keeping it in the family
There’s no doubt that the Rookie Of The Year Award can be a great springboard for a meteoric basketball career, however, there are those legends who managed just fine without it, including…..
1979-80 – 1996-97 Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
Since his arrival in the NBA in 1979, went from strength to strength and, he would go on to win five NBA championships and three Most Valuable Player Awards. Despite this, during his first season, Johnson was denied the Rookie Of The Year Award by Larry Bird who scored 21 points to Magic’s 18. Although this was most likely a disappointment for Magic Johnson, this award does have pride of place in the Johnson family as it was won by his brother, Larry Johnson, for the 1991-1992 season. Larry spent his basketball career as a Power Forward for the Charlotte Hornets and the New York Knicks.
The one that got away
As you would expect, fans and professionals don’t always agree on the choice of the recipient of Rookie Of The Year and many a heated debate is held over this. Similarly, there is often outrage when a seemingly deserving player is left out by the voters. One such case was:
1994-95, Glenn Robinson, Milwaukee Bucks
Glenn Robinson was the first name to be picked by Milwaukee Bucks in 1994 and the 21 year old known as Big Dog signed what is still the highest paying rookie contract in the history of the NBA. Despite this – and despite his higher score – Glenn was snubbed by the voters for the Rookie Of The Year Award which, that season, went to Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks and Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistons.
The here and now
Just like everybody else, the NBA was forced to make some drastic changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, including suspending play for a while, however, when everything shook out, the last winner of the Rookie Of The Year Award was 22 year old Ja Morant.
Conclusion
While some may consider it a lottery, for new NBA players, the Rookie Of The Year Award is their chance to build a solid foundation for their career and to show the world what they can do – and we’ll be waiting with baited breath to see which of 2021’s draft picks will be the next in line for this honour.
