Malcolm Brogdon, of the Milwaukee Bucks, was chosen as the Rookie of the Year Award winner after having become the great revelation of the 2016-17 regular season.
Brogdon averaged 10.2 points and 4.2 assists, while he was the only rookie to achieve a triple-double throughout the season.
“It is something very special to have won this award when a player selected in the second round did not count to be a favorite, but then on the field try to always raise my level to help the team,” said Brogdon. 24, who was named No. 36 by the Bucks in the 2016 college draw.
Brogdon was instrumental in allowing the Bucks to play in the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round against the Toronto Raptors.
The Bucks player becomes the first to win the Rookie of the Year award without being chosen in the first round of the college draw since the era of the single draw in 1966.
Brogdon, who graduated with the University of Virginia, is also the first to win the ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year award since power forward Elton Brand in the 1999-2000 season.
He also becomes the first Bucks player to win the award since being given the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-70).
Brogdon surpassed in the final vote of the specialized journalists who cover NBA to the cameroonian center Joel Embiid and to the Croatian power forward Dario Saric, both of 23 years, and companions with the Sixers of Philadelphia.
