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All NBA Rookie Of The Year Award Winners, Ranked

Updated November 5, 2019 19.1k votes 1.6k voters 8.8k views69 items

List RulesVote up the ROTY winners based on their overall NBA careers.

Of all the NBA Rookie of the Year winners, there has to be a single best. Sure, each and every winner of the sought-after award can be considered the best in their own right, even if it's just for their rookie season, but how do they all stand up against each other? Year after year, we see the top rookies fight for the title, whether that's by being a leading point scorer or a powerhouse on defense (or both). But do they get better each year? Does the ROTY from 50 years ago compare to any of the top current NBA players? That's up to you fans to decide.

From first winner Don Meineke in 1953 to 2017 ROTY Malcolm Brogdon, who are the best NBA Rookie of the Year winners? While Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have proved themselves far past rookies, you still have to consider other all-time NBA greats who won the award, such as Larry Bird and Wilt Chamberlain—lest we forget the GOAT Michael Jordan. Clearly, determining the best ROTY of all time is certainly no easy decision.

Nevertheless, here's a list of NBA Rookie of the Year award winners, ready to be ranked by you. Vote up the best players and keep in mind, someone is going to take the last spot as the worst ROTY, so vote accordingly.

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Michael Jordan
Shooting guard, Small forward
Age: 56
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Teams: Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls
1984–85
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655
205
Wilt Chamberlain
Center
Age: Dec. at 63 (1936-1999)
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia Warriors, San Francisco Warriors
1959–60
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3
502
152
Tim Duncan
Power forward, Center
Age: 44
Birthplace: Christiansted, United States Virgin Islands
Number: 21
1997–98

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4
578
185
Larry Bird
Small forward, Power forward
Age: 64
Birthplace: West Baden Springs, French Lick Township, Indiana, United States of America
Teams: Boston Celtics
1979–80
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618
213
Shaquille O'Neal
Center
Age: 48
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
Teams: Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat
1992–93

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6
801
302
LeBron James
Small forward, Power forward
Age: 36
Birthplace: Akron, Ohio
Number: 23
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
2003–04
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7
398
127
Oscar Robertson
Point guard, Shooting guard
Age: 82
Birthplace: Charlotte, Tennessee, United States of America
Teams: Cincinnati Royals, Milwaukee Bucks
1960–61
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#9 of 175 The Greatest Shooting Guards in NBA History#3 of 25 The Best NBA Point Guards of the 1970s
8
497
178
Allen Iverson
Point guard, Shooting guard
Age: 45
Birthplace: Hampton, Virginia, United States of America
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets
1996–97

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#2 of 22 The Greatest Georgetown Basketball Players of All Time#3 of 53 The Best NBA Players Who Played Overseas
9
352
127
David Robinson
Center
Age: 54
Birthplace: Key West, Florida, United States of America
1989–90
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10
446
180
Kevin Durant
Small forward
Age: 32
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
Number: 35
Teams: Brooklyn Nets
2007–08
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317
132
Vince Carter
Shooting guard, Small forward
Age: 43
Birthplace: Daytona Beach, Florida, United States of America
Number: 25
Teams: Atlanta Hawks
1998–99
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12
518
250
Derrick Rose
Point guard
Age: 32
Birthplace: USA, Chicago, Illinois
Number: 1
Teams: New York Knicks
2008–09
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#4 of 73 The Greatest Chicago Bulls of All Time#33 of 76 The Best Point Guards Currently in the NBA
13
294
120
Patrick Ewing
Center
Age: 57
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
Teams: Orlando Magic, Seattle Supersonics, New York Knicks
1985–86
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312
135
Damian Lillard
Point guard
Age: 30
Birthplace: Oakland, California
Number: 0
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers
2012–13
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15
291
137
Chris Paul
Point guard
Age: 35
Birthplace: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Number: 3
Teams: Phoenix Suns
2005–06

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Elgin Baylor
Small forward
Age: 85
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
1958–59
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#12 of 161 The Best NBA Players With No Championship Rings#7 of 107 The Greatest Lakers of All Time
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278
135
Lew Alcindor
1969–70
18
213
104
Grant Hill
Small forward
Age: 47
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, United States of America
Number: 33
Teams: Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons
1994–95
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242
124
Jason Kidd
Point guard
Age: 47
Birthplace: California, United States of America
Number: 5
Teams: Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets
1994–95
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#8 of 27 The Best '90s Point Guards#65 of 66 The Most Controversial Athletes in Sports History
20
374
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Kyrie Irving
Point guard
Age: 28
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Number: 2
Teams: Brooklyn Nets
2011–12
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Chris Webber
Power forward, Center
Age: 46
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
Teams: Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons
1993–94
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#2 of 46 The Greatest Michigan Basketball Players of All Time#11 of 21 The Best NBA Players Who Rap, Ranked
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208
126
Blake Griffin
Power forward
Age: 31
Birthplace: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Number: 32
Teams: Detroit Pistons
2010–11
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178
105
Pau Gasol
Power forward, Center
Age: 40
Birthplace: Barcelona, Spain
Number: 16
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs
2001–02
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#27 of 165 The Greatest NBA Centers of All Time#34 of 54 The Most Hated Active NBA Players

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Bob Pettit
Power forward, Center
Age: 88
Birthplace: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Teams: Milwaukee Hawks, St. Louis Hawks
1954–55
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#18 of 232 The Best White Players in NBA History#3 of 58 The Greatest LSU Basketball Players of All Time
25
135
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Rick Barry
Small forward
Age: 76
Birthplace: Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States of America
Teams: New York Nets, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Warriors
1965–66

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Lew Alcindor