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The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year is an annual award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters from the US and Canada, who cast first-, second-, and third-place votes. The player with the highest number of points wins the award. The most recent winner of the award is Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs, who averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 0.91 steals in 26.7 minutes in 81 games.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 2024-25 |
| Winner | Stephon Castle |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs |
| Points | 1,190 |
| Steals | 74 |
| Free throws made | 249 |
| Average points after All-Star break | 17.8 |
| Average rebounds after All-Star break | 5.1 |
| Average assists after All-Star break | 5.0 |
| Average steals after All-Star break | 0.91 |
| Average points in the regular season | 14.7 |
| Average rebounds in the regular season | 3.7 |
| Average assists in the regular season | 4.1 |
| Average minutes played in the regular season | 26.7 |
| Number of games in the regular season | 81 |
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What You'll Learn
Stephon Castle: 2024-25 winner
Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs was named the 2024-25 recipient of the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy as the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year. Castle is the fourth player to win the award with the Spurs, joining David Robinson (1989-90), Tim Duncan (1997-98), and Victor Wembanyama (2023-24).
Castle averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 0.91 steals in 26.7 minutes across 81 games in the 2024-25 regular season. He led all rookies in points per game, ranked fourth in assists per game, and finished sixth in steals per game. In addition, he recorded the most total points (1,190), steals (74), and free throws (249) among first-year NBA players.
Castle was named the Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month twice, for the months of January and March. In the 30 games following the All-Star break, he averaged 17.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 28.6 minutes. At NBA All-Star 2025 in San Francisco, Castle was also selected as the Most Valuable Player of the Castrol Rising Stars, helping his team secure a spot in the NBA All-Star Game.
The winner of the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award is selected by a global media panel of 100 voters. The balloting is tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP.
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Wilt Chamberlain Trophy
The Wilt Chamberlain Trophy is awarded to the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Rookie of the Year. The award is given annually to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. The trophy is named after the former NBA player Wilt Chamberlain, who was the NBA rookie of the year for the 1959-1960 season. Standing at 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 m) tall, Wilt Chamberlain played centre for the NBA for 14 seasons and is remembered for being the only player to score 100 points in a single game. He also held the record for most rebounds in a game, with 55, and could dunk from the foul line.
The NBA's Rookie of the Year award was initiated following the 1952-53 NBA season, when it was called the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, named after the former Philadelphia Warriors head coach. Since the 2022-23 NBA season, the award has been renamed the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy. The winner is selected by a panel of US and Canadian sportswriters and broadcasters, who each cast first-, second-, and third-place votes worth five, three, and one point, respectively. The player with the highest number of points wins, regardless of the number of first-place votes.
Wilt Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was the sixth of nine children. Chamberlain was a natural athlete from a young age, running the 300-yard shuttle in the 1946 Penn Relays as a fourth grader. He was over 6 feet tall by the age of 10. Chamberlain took up basketball in seventh grade, playing for the Overbrook Hilltoppers basketball team. He wore jersey number five and was known by several nicknames, including "Wilt the Stilt", "Goliath", and his personal favourite, "The Big Dipper".
Chamberlain went on to become a professional basketball player, playing centre for the NBA. He was a star player, renowned for his scoring talent, physical strength, and shot-blocking abilities. He changed the game in fundamental ways and is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Wilt Chamberlain Trophy now commemorates his impressive career and impact on the NBA, serving as a reminder of his legacy for future generations of NBA players.
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Pre-1953 winners
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award was first introduced following the 1952–53 NBA season. The award is given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Before the 1952–53 season, the Rookie of the Year was chosen by newspaper writers, but the NBA does not officially recognize those players as winners.
The NBA did, at one point, recognize the pre-1953 winners and published their names in the 1994–95 edition of the Official NBA Guide and the 1994 Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia. However, these winners have not been listed in subsequent publications, and the NBA admitted they had lost the records of these awards when they moved offices in the early days of the league.
Despite the NBA no longer recognizing the pre-1953 winners, some sources have chosen to display them. The winners from 1947–48 to 1951–52 were recognized by newspaper writers. The first Rookie of the Year officially recognized by the NBA is Monk Meineke in 1952–53.
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All-time greats
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year is an annual award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. The award was first introduced following the 1952–53 NBA season and was named the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, after the former Philadelphia Warriors head coach. Since the 2022–23 NBA season, winners have received the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy, named after the former Rookie of the Year winner. The winner is selected by a panel of US and Canadian sportswriters and broadcasters, who each cast first-, second-, and third-place votes (worth five, three, and one point, respectively). The player(s) with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.
Some of the all-time greats who have won the NBA Rookie of the Year award include Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry Lucas, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson. Chamberlain, who won the award in the 1959–60 season, is one of the most dominant players in NBA history. He was a prolific scorer and rebounder, known for his unmatched physical attributes and his signature shot, the "dipper." Lucas, who won the award in the 1963–64 season, was a highly skilled forward with exceptional rebounding and passing abilities. Bird, the winner of the 1979–80 Rookie of the Year award, is considered one of the greatest small forwards of all time. He was a versatile player known for his passing, shooting, and leadership. Ewing, the top rookie in the 1985–86 season, was a dominant center who excelled at both ends of the court. Robinson, who won the award in the 1989–90 season, was a formidable defensive player and a highly efficient scorer.
Other notable players who have won the NBA Rookie of the Year award include LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Tim Duncan. These players have all gone on to have Hall of Fame careers, establishing themselves as some of the greatest to ever play the game.
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Voting process
The National Basketball Association's (NBA) Rookie of the Year award is an annual prize given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. The award was first introduced following the 1952–53 NBA season and it confers the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, named after the former Philadelphia Warriors head coach. Since the 2022–23 NBA season, winners have received the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy, named after a former Rookie of the Year winner.
The winner is selected by a panel of US and Canadian sportswriters and broadcasters, who each cast first-, second-, and third-place votes (worth five, three, and one point, respectively). The player(s) with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award. Prior to the 1952–53 season, the Rookie of the Year was selected by newspaper writers; however, the NBA does not officially recognize those players as winners. The league published the pre-1953 winners in their 1994–95 edition of the Official NBA Guide and the 1994 Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia, but those winners have not been listed in subsequent publications.
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Frequently asked questions
Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs.
A global media panel of 100 voters.
An annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season.
The Wilt Chamberlain Trophy, named after the former Rookie of the Year winner.
