San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama was a unanimous selection for the NBA’s All-Rookie team this season, the league revealed Monday.
It was no surprise, given that Wembanyama also was the unanimous choice for rookie of the year from the same panel of 99 voters who cast ballots for the league’s awards this season.
Joining Wembanyama on the first team were Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, Charlotte’s Brandon Miller, Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski.
Holmgren — the runner-up to Wembanyama in the rookie of the year race — was also a unanimous first-team choice.
Miller, Jaquez and Podziemski were third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the rookie of the year balloting that was announced earlier this month. That was also the order they finished the All-Rookie team voting in, with Jaquez joining Wembanyama and Holmgren as the only players to appear on all 99 ballots.
Dallas’ Dereck Lively II was a second-team All-Rookie selection, along with Houston’s Amen Thompson, Utah’s Keyonte George, Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace and Memphis’ GG Jackson II. Jackson got the last spot by one vote over Golden State’s Trayce Jackson-Davis.
The All-Defensive team selections will be revealed Tuesday, and the All-NBA team will be unveiled Wednesday. Wembanyama is a likely first-team All-Defense player — he was No. 2 in the defensive player of the year race to Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert — and surely got All-NBA consideration as well.
If Wembanyama makes either the All-Defense or All-NBA team, or both, he would be the first rookie to do so since two other San Antonio centers who, like him, were No. 1 overall draft picks, those being Tim Duncan in 1998 and David Robinson in 1990.
Only five rookies have made All-Defense: Duncan, Robinson, Washington’s Manute Bol (1986), Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon (1985) and Milwaukee’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970).
And if Wembanyama makes All-NBA, he would be the 22nd rookie to do so in NBA history. Of those, only four have done it in the last 45 seasons: Duncan, Robinson, Chicago’s Michael Jordan (1985) and Boston’s Larry Bird (1980).
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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