Wembanyama, Holmgren Highlight 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren have been selected to the 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team based on the unanimous 164 votes from a global panel of 165 sportswriters and broadcasters. The two players collected First Team votes in all the 99 ballots cast by a panel of reporters and sportscasters worldwide.
First Team Selections
Joining Wembanyama and Holmgren on the Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team are Charlotte Hornets’ forward-guard Brandon Miller, Miami Heat’s forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Golden State Warriors’ guard Brandin Podziemski.
2023-24 Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team:
- Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
- Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets)
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat)
- Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors)
Check out the best plays from the 2023-24 @Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team…
🌟 Victor Wembanyama
🌟 Chet Holmgren
🌟 Brandon Miller
🌟 Jaime Jaquez Jr.
🌟 Brandin Podziemski pic.twitter.com/TNeYUJnTjx— NBA (@NBA) May 20, 2024
Second Team Selections
The 2022-2023 Kia NBA All-Rookie Second Team: Dallas Mavericks’ center Dereck Lively II; Houston Rockets’ guard-forward Amen Thompson; Utah Jazz’s guard Keyonte George; Oklahoma City Thunder’s guard Cason Wallace; Memphis Grizzlies’ forward GG Jackson II.
2023-24 Kia NBA All-Rookie Second Team:
- Dereck Lively II (Dallas Mavericks)
- Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets)
- Keyonte George (Utah Jazz)
- Cason Wallace (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- GG Jackson II (Memphis Grizzlies)
Check out the best plays from the 2023-24 @Kia NBA All-Rookie Second Team…
🌟 Keyonte George
🌟 GG Jackson
🌟 Dereck Lively II
🌟 Amen Thompson
🌟 Cason Wallace pic.twitter.com/LjsbMThMDm— NBA (@NBA) May 21, 2024
Wembanyama’s Stellar Season
It’s no surprise that the French record-breaking Wembanyama is in the running for the 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Rookie of the Year award but is also a strong candidate to make the All-Defensive squad and even the All-NBA team. His brilliant play this season puts him in contenders to become the first rookie in the history of the NBA to achieve these honors since Tim Duncan in 1998 and David Robinson in 1990; all these two were San Antonio centers and No. 1 overall draft picks.
Victor Wembanyama is the first player from France to win the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He is also the third player to earn the honor with the Spurs, joining David Robinson (1989-90) and Tim Duncan (1997-98).
Wembanyama led all rookies in points, rebounds and blocks per… https://t.co/TkjvpJCBAq
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 6, 2024
Historical Context
Only five rookies have made All-Defense: Duncan, M, Bol, D, Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. If Wembanyama is selected to the All-NBA team, he would become one of the select few rookies in NBA history to make the All-NBA team 22 total rookies in NBA history only including Jordan and Larry Bird.
Voting Process
To establish the best rooks of the season the media voting panel selected five players at any position for the 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team, and five more for the Second Team. Each time a player was awarded a First Team nod he scored two points; a Second Team award fetched a player one point.
The complete voting results for the 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Rookie Team: pic.twitter.com/XNBPruS5FO
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 20, 2024
The All-Defensive team choices are scheduled to be announced Tuesday, with the All-NBA ballot results coming Wednesday. Adding Wembanyama to these teams would certainly serve as a testament to what has been a phenomenal rookie year for the young French forward.