Victor Wembanyama is the favourite for the NBA Rookie of the Year 2023/24 Award

NBA is one of the most followed competitive leagues in America and the rest of the world. Hundreds of millions of fans follow the league each year, as the television agreements amount to more than 10 billion US dollars. This puts the NBA on the list of the most followed, most valuable, and competitive sports leagues in the world.

Each year, a number of players are drafted into the NBA. Some of them graduate from the NCAA College basketball level, while others join the league from different parts of the world. These include players like Luka Doncic, who came from Europe.


Scouting and Rookies:

The NBA franchises hire special teams and scouts who look for the best possible picks in the NBA drafts to strengthen their franchise’s combination.

While the term rookie is generally used to refer to a person who lacks experience at a certain level, the term is used in NBA to refer to players who are playing in their first seasons.

It is not often that these rookies play all the matches for their teams in the NBA season. Often, first-timers play a handful of matches in a full season. However, there have been instances of rookies proving to be the break-out stars of a season and carrying the weight of their team right from the word go.


NBA Rookie of the Year award:

For these top-performing rookies, NBA has a special rookie of the year award, which is given to the best-performing rookie in the NBA season. So, the rookie who steals the show gets the NBA Rookie of the Year award.

The winner of the NBA rookie of the year award receives the prestigious Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, which is named after Mr. Basketball (nickname) Eddie Gottlieb.

What does the award mean?

The award holds great value and significance for young players as it is a huge encouragement and a stepping stone for the future. The award is just an announcement of what lies ahead. A number of great players like Michael Jordan, Luka Doncic, Lebron James, and Kevin Durant have won the award in the past. For all these great players, the award was just an official acknowledgment of what these star players were capable of.


Players to win the MVP award and Rookie of the Year Award in the same season:

It is an understood rule that a player who rises to become the NBA MVP of the season in his first year would also be the NBA Rookie of the Year.

Over the years, only two players have won both awards in the same season.

Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld:

Wilt Chamberlain was the first ever NBA rookie to win the MVP award. As a result, he won the NBA MVP award and the NBA Rookie of the year award in the 1959-60 season. Wes Unseld achieved a similar feat in the 1968-69 season when he won both the MVP and the NBA Rookie of the Year awards.


Prominent names to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award:

Oscar Robertson, Kevin Durant, Michael Jordon, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, Lebron James, and Hakeem Olajuwon are some of the biggest names who made their mark in the NBA straightaway by winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.


2022/23 Winner:

Paolo Banchero from Orlando Magic won the award last playing in the power forward position for Orlando Magic.


NBA Rookie of the Year 2023/24:

Once the odds are posted, one can be sure that the 2023 NBA Draft sensation, the French wonderkid Victor Wembanyama, will be the favourite.