NBA Rookie of the year: 5 Best NBA rookies of all time

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson

Isn't it difficult to recruit a novice into the professional circuit, keeping faith in their skills and abilities of their amateur course?

Those of us who have gone through their first job recruitment process will agree with the fact that it's not an easy task. NBA teams drafting rookies is a regular business as you need to fill the gap left by the veterans retiring and the players swapping teams. But making them start games is showing a lot of confidence in a player's talent.

This eases out the initial glitch for the players. Many rookies are drafted each year. Most rookies take time to adjust to the professional demands of the game and start to flourish only in later years. While there are some who take the league by storm and make it count by starting to taste success from the word go. These are the ones who are able to payback the most to the teams and their trust.

Also read: The favorites to win NBA Rookie of The Year 2018-19

Here is a list of top 5 rookies in the history of the league.

#5 Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan has had an exceptional record since his initial days
Tim Duncan has had an exceptional record since his initial days

Tim Duncan was impressive right from the get-go as he was instrumental in improving the San Antonio Spurs' record of 20-62 in 1996-97 to 56-26 in his rookie season of 1997-98. He was the No. 1 pick in 1997 NBA draft, bagging the NBA rookie honors and followed it up with the first of his five NBA Championships.

Starting all the 82 regular- season games in his first professional year, he averaged 21 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. He played 39.1 minutes on an average in each game of his first season and got elected to the NBA All-defensive second team in the same year. Tim Duncan had a successful career with many accolades that included three NBA Finals MVP and two NBA Most Valuable Player award.

#4 Larry Bird

Larry Bird (Image courtesy: jvmlending.com)
Larry Bird was a revelation for the Celtics in his rookie season (Image courtesy: jvmlending.com)

Not ready to play for Boston Celtics due to paycheck issues initially, he was able to get a $3.25 million contract for five years making him the highest paid rookie at that time. The Celtics were reeling behind in the league winning just 61 games in two seasons before Bird transformed them into a winning force.

Also read: Top 5 Small Forwards of all-time

Winning the NBA Rookie of the year, he averaged 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game for the season and named in the All-Star team. Larry Bird went on to win three NBA championships along with three consecutive NBA most valuable player (achieved only by two other players - Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell) and two NBA Finals MVP.

#3 Lew Alcindor Jr. (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Lew Alcindor(#33) converted to Islam in 1968 but only made it public in 1971 taking the Arabic name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

A UCLA star, Alcindor was the first overall pick of 1969 NBA draft by Milwaukee Bucks. He carried on his college form into his professional career winning the NBA Rookie of the year for an extraordinary first season. He dominated the league from his beginning days, averaging 28.8 points(second in the league) and 14.5 rebounds per game as a rookie.

Also read: Top 5 NBA Center of all time

His recruitment led to the Bucks improving on their previous season's record of 27-55 to 56-26 with Kareem (then Alcindor), playing the pivotal role. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went on to win 6 NBA championships and still leads the NBA All-Time Points list with 38,387 points(24.6 ppg). He saw his prime days with the Los Angeles Lakers where he moved in 1975, winning five of six championship rings with them.

#2 Oscar Robertson

With his balling skills, he saw himself rise from the poverty he had grown up in
With his balling skills, he saw himself rise from the poverty he had grown up in. (Image courtesy: bleacherreport.com)

Nicknamed 'The Big O', Oscar Robertson's first season is regarded as one of the best rookie seasons of all time. Drafted as a territorial pick by Cincinnati Royals in 1960, he bettered his University of Cincinnati performances by almost averaging a triple-double throughout the season. He averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists (leading the league) in his rookie season and was awarded the NBA Rookie of the year for the 1961-62 season.

Following a spectacular season, he was named the NBA All-Stars Game MVP in 1961 and was an NBA All-Star for his first 12 consecutive seasons. He averaged a triple-double during an entire season(his second), a record equaled by Russell Westbrook last season. He won his only NBA championship with Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 that included Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

#1 Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain, a dominant force throughout his entire career

Regarded as one of the best to have played in the prestigious league. He started dominating ever since being selected by the Philadephia Warriors. In his first NBA game against the New York Knicks, playing center, he scored 43 points and grabbed 28 rebounds. In his first season, he impressively averaged 37.6 points and 27 rebounds, breaking previous regular- season records.

He was named the NBA MVP and Rookie of the year for his commanding show on the court. Chamberlain went on to win two NBA championships along with four MVP awards and one NBA finals MVP in 1972. His first season was statistically the third-best season of his illustrious career and he ranks at the top of best rookie of all time.

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Edited by Yash Matange