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Anthony "AC "Carter
Sports Editor
BLAKE GRIFFIN NAMED 2010-11
T-MOBILE NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
- Becomes First
Unanimous ROY since David Robinson in 1990 -
Los Angeles Clippers’ forward Blake Griffin is the recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2010-11 T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year, the National Basketball Association announced today. Griffin is the first unanimous Rookie of the Year selection since David Robinson in 1989-90, receiving 118 first-place votes (590 points) from an equal number of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Other than Griffin and Robinson, the only other unanimous selection since the award’s inception was Ralph Sampson in 1983-84.
"Foremost Blake is a
team first guy, which was evident in all 82 games this season,” stated
Vice President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey. “His work ethic,
production and commitment to his coaches and teammates during his rookie
campaign was unparalleled in my eight year tenure with the Clipper
organization. I know being named Rookie of the Year was one of the
individual goals he set for himself when we drafted him and I'm thrilled
that all of his hard work has been recognized."
Griffin, who was
selected first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft but missed the entire
2009-10 season due to injury (stress fracture, left knee), recorded a
rookie-and team-leading 22.5 ppg (12th overall), 12.1 rpg (fourth
overall) and 63 double-doubles (third overall). He was the only player
in the NBA to average at least 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.
Griffin became the first rookie to average at least 20 points and 10
rebounds since Elton Brand (20.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg) in 1999-2000; and he was
only the fourth rookie to total at least 1,600 points, 900 rebounds and
250 assists, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-70), Elgin Baylor
(1958-59) and Sidney Wicks (1971-72).
“Through his hard
work and determination, Blake proved that he deserves this honor,” said
Clippers Head Coach Vinny Del Negro. “He had an absolutely incredible
season, and he quickly became a leader for this team. After missing all
of last season, it is obvious how much work he put in throughout the
course of the year. I am proud of what he accomplished this season, and
I look forward to watching him continue to develop and improve.”
A six-time T-Mobile
Western Conference Rookie of the Month selection, Griffin became the
first rookie to appear in an NBA All-Star Game since Yao Ming in 2003
and the first rookie to be voted in by the coaches since Tim Duncan in
1998. Griffin also participated in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and won
the Sprite Slam Dunk contest. On March 23, he recorded the first
triple-double of his NBA career --- 33 points, 17 rebounds and a
career-high 10 assists in the Clippers’ double-overtime win over
Washington, becoming the first rookie to record a triple-double of at
least 30 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists since Jerry West did it on
Feb. 26, 1961 (38 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists). Griffin is the first
Clipper to be named Rookie of the Year since Terry Cummings won the
honor with the San Diego Clippers in 1983.
Building upon its
already strong appeal to the nation’s youth and as an Official Partner
of the NBA, T-Mobile is showcasing the NBA’s youngest players -- the
Rookies -- through the T-Mobile Rookie Program. Highlights include
rookie awards presentations such as the T-Mobile Rookies of the Month
and T-Mobile Rookie of the Year, and the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge &
Youth Jam, an All-Star competition between NBA rookies and second-year
players. During NBA All-Star 2011, T-Mobile and the NBA hosted more than
3,500 students from the Los Angeles Unified School Districts and After
School All-Stars of Los Angeles program to watch the T-Mobile Rookie
Challenge & Youth Jam from the best seats in the house at Staples Center
on Friday, February 18.
The Eddie Gottlieb Trophy is named in honor of Eddie Gottlieb, one of the NBA’s founders who coached the Philadelphia Warriors to the NBA championship in 1946-47.