Ja Morant Earns Rookie of the Year Award and Leads All Rookie First Team

As the NBA Finals approach signaling the end of the regular season, it has been announced that Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year and selected to the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie First Team. As the sole unanimous selection, Morant received NBA All-Rookie First Team votes on all 100 ballots from a panel consisting of global sportswriters and broadcasters.

Alongside Morant (200 points) on the All-Rookie First Team are Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn, Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, and Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall.

With the selection of Morant and Clarke, the Grizzlies can boast of achieving the rare and unique feat of having more than one player on the NBA All-Rookie First Team for the first time since 2001-02. On the other hand, Nunn who played in the developmental NBA G League last season is the first Heat player named to the All-Rookie First Team since 2008-09.

Overall, the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro, Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis II, Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, Charlotte Hornets forward P.J. Washington Jr. and Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura.

The media panel selected five players for the NBA All-Rookie First Team and five players for the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Points were awarded to players based on votes-  two points for each First Team vote and one point for each Second Team vote.

The voting was conducted based on regular-season games played through March 11. The games played between July 30 – Aug. 14 in wake of the post-COVID 19 restart, did not count toward the eligibility period for the end-of-season awards.

The balloting was compiled and tabulated by the credible accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.