Australian NBA star Ben Simmons has won the league’s Rookie of the Year award after an outstanding first season.
Simmons, 21, becomes the first Australian player to win the award after his inaugural season with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The award is decided by members of the United States and Canadian sports media.
Australian NBA star Ben Simmons has won the league’s Rookie of the Year award after an outstanding first season
It was at the end of the NBA regular season when Simmons was leading the 76ers, without injured All-Star team-mate Joel Embiid, on a record win-streak.
His numerous triple-doubles showcased his versatility, handling the ball for the 76ers in a point-forward role.
‘I’d like to thank my family … my teammates, my great coach and the city of Philadelphia for really embracing me,’ Simmons said after accepting the award.
After the vote deadline, fellow rookie Donovan Mitchell was sensational in the Jazz’s playoff run.
Simmons, meanwhile, was exposed in the playoffs by the Celtics for his inability to make mid-range and three-point shots.
Mitchell has also been vocal in calling for Simmons, who was injured the entire 2016/17 season, to not be classed as a rookie because he benefited from being with the 76ers for that first year after being drafted.
Mitchell wore pointed shirts to games, including one that defined the word rookie as: ‘An athlete playing his or her first season as a member of a professional sports team.’
‘If his argument is I’m not a rookie, if that’s the only argument he has, I’m in pretty good shape, then,’ Simmons responded.
Simmons, 21, becomes the first Australian player to win the award after his inaugural season with the Philadelphia 76ers