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Report: LaMelo Ball Wins Rookie of the Year Award

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has won the NBA's Rookie of the Year.

Kevin McCormick

Report: LaMelo Ball Wins Rookie of the Year Award
Report: LaMelo Ball Wins Rookie of the Year Award /

Similar to the MVP race, the Rookie of the Year race sparked a lot of buzz this season. Injuries caused names to drop in and out of the discussion throughout the regular season. 

LaMelo Ball was an early front-runner for the award and became the official winner on Wednesday afternoon, per ESPN's Adrain Wojnarowski.

The third overall pick of last year's draft posted averages of 15.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 6.1 APG. Ball had many skeptics leading into the draft but managed to prove them wrong in his first season in Charlotte. 

Since stepping on an NBA floor, Ball has been a walking highlight reel. He put on passing masterclass this season, proving he is going to be one of the league's top facilitators for years to come. 

Ball's playmaking made the Hornets must-watch television on a nightly basis. Most notably for the connection he and teammate Miles Bridges had on alley-oops.  

After suffering an injury that caused him to miss multiple weeks, some thought it might cost Ball the hardware. In that time, number one overall pick Anthony Edwards entered the discussion as the new potential winner. 

Edwards averaged 19.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.9 APG for the Timberwolves this season. On top of those numbers, he appeared in all 72 regular-season games. Ball played in just 51 for the Hornets. 

Leading into the draft, the 2020 class was viewed as one of the weaker classes in recent seasons. After just one season, multiple standout talents have emerged. 

At just 19-years-old, Ball is already showing limitless potential. This ROY award is likely the first of many accolades Ball will accumulate in his career. 

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.

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Kevin McCormick
KEVIN MCCORMICK

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers FanNation's All76ers. Since graduating from Holy Family University with a degree in Sports Management, he's gone on to pursue a career in journalism covering the NBA. Some of his previous bylines include 97.3 ESPN, ClutchPoints, and Sportskeeda. 

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