Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant on Thursday was named the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year.
Morant received 99 of a possible 100 first-place votes for the end-of-season award. The only other player to receive a first-place vote? New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson. Williamson, however, finished in third place in Rookie of the Year voting, with Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn finishing second.
Williamson, the top pick in last year’s draft out of Duke, had the one remaining first-place vote. Grizzlies big man Brandon Clarke (fourth), Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (fifth), Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall (sixth), Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis II (seventh) and New York Knicks forward R.J. Barrett (eighth) also received votes.
“I need to figure out who was that person who didn’t pick me first,” Morant said in a conference call. “I want to shoot a direct message to them and thank them for motivating me even more to do more, be better and do whatever I can to help my team win basketball games. If anybody know who that is, let me know.”
Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn finished second, while Williamson was third and Morant’s teammate, Brandon Clarke, took fourth.
He joined LeBron James and Nikola Jokic as the only three players in the NBA this season to average at least 17 points and six assists while shooting 49% from the field in games played before March 11. He led all qualified rookies in scoring and assists.
Prior to entering the NBA Draft, Morant played two seasons for mid-major Murray State. As a sophomore in 2018-19, Morant averaged 24.5 points, 10 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.8 steal while shooting nearly 50-per cent from the floor as he led the Racers (28-5) to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.