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Gonzaga Basketball

Former Gonzaga forward Chet Holmgren second behind Wembanyama for NBA Rookie of the Year

In a matchup of former Zags, Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren defends Utah's Kelly Olynyk in a December game at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. (Getty Images)
By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com(509) 459-5585

There wasn’t much mystery about the order of finish in the NBA Rookie of the Year race.

San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama was the runaway favorite as the season progressed and former Gonzaga standout Chet Holmgren was seemingly locked into second. So Monday’s announcement on TNT’s NBA Tip-off Show that the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama was the rookie award’s sixth unanimous winner was essentially a formality.

Wembanyama received all 99 first-place votes. Holmgren received 98 second-place votes and one third place. Charlotte’s Brandon Miller finished third, Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. fourth and Brandin Podziemski, a former Santa Clara Bronco, was fifth.

Holmgren is now Gonzaga’s highest draft pick (No. 2 overall to Oklahoma City in 2022) and highest finisher in rookie of the year voting. Adam Morrison was selected No. 3 overall by Charlotte in 2006. Morrison (2007) and Brandon Clarke (2020) finished fourth in rookie of the year voting.

Holmgren, sidelined in the 2022-23 season by a Lisfranc injury that required surgery on his right foot, bounced back to play in every regular-season game and all four games of Oklahoma City’s first-round playoff sweep over New Orleans.

The 7-foot-1 native of Minneapolis averaged 29.4 minutes, 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks per game. He made 62.3% of his 2-point attempts, 37.0% on 3s and 79.3% at the foul line. He ranked fifth in the NBA in blocked shots.

He averaged 15.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 2.3 assists in the playoff series against the Pelicans, who made just 25.7% on 35 shot attempts within five feet of the basket contested by Holmgren in the series.

The top-seeded Thunder entertain No. 5 Dallas on Tuesday in the opening game of the Western Conference semifinals.

Holmgren averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks in his one season as a Zag. He was named the West Coast Conference’s top newcomer and defender. He joined Drew Timme as second-team AP All-Americans.

Wembanyama led all rookies in scoring (21.4 points) and rebounds (10.6) and paced the NBA in blocks with 254.