LaMelo Ball’s debut season continues garner acclaim as the Charlotte Hornets guard was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team on Thursday after also winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
Ball and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards were the only players named on all 99 ballots from sportswriters and broadcasters. Those two were joined by Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton, Detroit Pistons forward Saddiq Bey and Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate on the first team.
Second-team members included New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley, Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane, Pistons center Isaiah Stewart, Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward Isaac Okoro and Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams.
Ball, the third overall selection in last year’s draft after playing in Lithuania and Australia, averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 51 games for the Hornets. The Chino Hills, Calif., native saw his season interrupted for more than a month by a fractured bone in his right wrist.
Edwards, the No. 1 overall selection out of Georgia, averaged 19.3 points with 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the Timberwolves.
Haliburton, the No. 12 pick out of Iowa State, averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Kings, while Bey, the No. 19 pick out of Villanova, averaged 12.2 points with 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists for the Pistons. Tate, who went undrafted in 2018 out of Ohio State and played overseas for two seasons in Belgium and Australia, averaged 11.3 points with 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Rockets.
Ball and Tate played against each other in Australia during the 2019-20 season, with Tate spending time with the Sydney Kings and Ball playing for the Illawarra Hawks.
–Field Level Media