While NBA fans had to wait a year for Blake Griffin’s rookie campaign, he certainly made it worth the wait and he’ll cap it all off when he is announced as the winner of the 2010-11 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
When he wasn’t dunking over economy cars and making it to SportsCenter’s Top 10 on what seemed like a nightly basis, Griffin was making the Los Angeles Clippers relevant again and turning heads.
The University of Oklahoma alumnus blew the competition away by averaging 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He was also the first rookie to be named to the All-Star game in eight years and won the Rookie of the Month award for all six months of the NBA season.
Griffin is the first center to win the award since Emeka Okafor won it in 2005 and he is the first Los Angeles Clipper to win the award, with Terry Cummings being the last Clipper to win it as a member of the San Diego Clippers.
While the official results won’t be out until the announcement is made official later today, Griffin reportedly won it unanimously by receiving all 128 of the votes over the likes of John Wall, Greg Monroe and DeMarcus Cousins.
Photo via Daylife.com.
