Bri One Three.

Unsurprisingly, 3x NBA Rookie of the Month Victor Wembanyama finished first in the 2024 Rookie of the Year voting.

Pre-draft, Wembanyama, or Wemby, played for the Metropolitans 92 in France, where his performance was extraordinary. He averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game, leading the Pro A in each category. He led them to the LNB Pro A finals before being selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 1st overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, where he became the first French player to be drafted 1st overall.

The Spurs selected him with the expectation of having a primary scorer and rim protector. Although they finished 14th in their conference with a 22-60 record, Wemby’s first season in the NBA proved he lived up to the hype and was well worth the 1st overall pick. As a forward-center, he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 blocks through 71 regular-season games.

Wemby held 1st place on the Rookie Ladder for 16 weeks, including a consistent run from Week 12 to Week 24. He finished first in 2023/2024 rookie points, offensive and defensive rebounds, steals, blocks, double-doubles, and triple-doubles. He also finished third in assists and fourth in 3-pointers on rookie rankings this season.

However, Wemby’s talent shouldn’t be lost in rookie comparisons, as he finished first overall in blocks and tenth in rebounds, double-doubles, and triple-doubles by the end of the regular season.

Wemby now holds impactful NBA and Spurs franchise records, which include becoming the first player in NBA history to score 1,500+ points, 700+ rebounds, 250+ assists, 250+ blocks, and 100+ 3-pointers in a single season.

This year, there weren’t many other rookies who would have come close to receiving this award over him. Outside of his stats, Wemby has gained a reputation for putting his team first and always being open to learning from his coaches. He’s a young, malleable player with a long career ahead of him.

Congratulations, Victor Wembanyama.