19) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, ’97-’98 (winner: Tim Duncan)

As soon the Spurs selected him with the first pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, a Rookie of the Year trophy felt like a foregone conclusion for Duncan if he just managed to stay healthy. He did just that and put together a brilliant performance, eventually garnering 113 out of 116 possible Rookie of the Year votes in a runaway (Keith Van Horn received the other three). Though Ilgauskas wasn’t on the awards radar, he quietly had one of the best rookie performances of the last quarter century, averaging 13.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while leading the Cavaliers to a surprise playoff appearance. Ilgauskas, who was named 1st-Team All-Rookie and MVP of the 1998 All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge (Duncan didn’t participate), was drafted in 1996 but had to sit out an entire year due to a broken foot. He eventually became an icon in Cleveland, spending 13 seasons with the team, making two All-Star appearances, and setting the franchise records for blocks and rebounds (the latter was later broken by LeBron James). Only four post-merger players (Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Marques Johnson, and Bill Cartwright) compiled more win shares as a rookie without winning Rookie of the Year than Ilgauaskas.

18) Calvin Murphy, ’70-’71 (winners: Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie)
17) Pete Maravich, ’70-’71 (winners: Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie)

While the mid-to-late ’70s were a definite nadir in NBA history, you certainly can’t blame the draft class of 1970, which included seven future Hall of Fame inductees. Rookie of the Year voting was unsurprisingly tight, with Cowens and Petrie sharing the award, just beating out a third place Maravich. All of them had terrific rookie campaigns, as did future Hall of Famers Murphy, Bill Lanier, and Tiny Archibald (who wasn’t even named to the All-Rookie team despite averaging 16.0 points per game). Petrie led all rookies in scoring with 24.8 points per game, while Maravich was second with 23.2 per game, which are two of the 20 greatest rookie scoring seasons in NBA history. Meanwhile, Murphy was the rookie leader in win shares, with 8.0, as he led a Rockets turnaround of 13 more wins than the prior year. While Maravich, Murphy, and Cowens moved on to legendary careers, Petrie was an All-Star twice and a budding superstar when he suffered a major knee injury in 1976 that cut his career short at age 27, rendering him as one of the all-time worst careers for a Rookie of the Year honoree.

16) Arvydas Sabonis, ’95-’96 (winner: Damon Stoudamire)

It’s perhaps a little unfair to include Sabonis on this list. By the time he made his NBA debut with the Trail Blazers in 1995, the Lithuanian center was already 30 years old (especially stark when compared to fellow rookie Kevin Garnett, who was 18) and had spent literally half his life playing with pro teams in Europe. But he was still a “rookie” by the stated standards of the NBA and his first season in the league was an impressive one, overcoming shaky knees and cultural barriers to average 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. The Trail Blazers quickly refocused their offense around his post skills and preternatural play making abilities and became a title contender by the end of the decade, making Conference Finals appearances in 1999 and 2000. One of Sabonis’ teammates on those ’98-’99 and ’99-’00 teams was Stoudamire, who beat him out for Rookie of the Year in ’95-’96 while a member of the Raptors.

15) Jeff Ruland, ’81-’82 (winner: Buck Williams)

Over a career that ultimately spanned 13 years, Ruland played a full slate of games just once, as a rookie. If you’re wondering why three NBA teams (Bullets, 76ers, and Pistons) gave him repeated chances despite his numerous knee and foot injuries, one can point to that rookie campaign as evidence of his abundant talent and potential. On a Bullets team that looked to be in rebuilding mode after Wes Unseld’s retirement and Elvin Hayes’ departure for Houston, Ruland was second in scoring with 14.4 points per game and the team leader in rebounding with 9.3 per game, as Washington made a surprise Conference Semifinals appearance. Ruland didn’t receive any Rookie of the Year votes, with the award going to Williams, who averaged an impressive 15.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game for New Jersey. The players who finished second and third in voting are coming up later in this list but, spoiler alert, they were not #1 overall pick Mark Aguirre or #2 overall pick Isiah Thomas.

14) Donovan Mitchell, ’17-’18 (winner: Ben Simmons)

Averaging 20+ points per game was once a semi-regular occurrence for NBA rookies but it’s become rare in the 21st century. Only seven players have accomplished it in the last 20 years and five of them earned Rookie of the Year honors (LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans, Kevin Durant, and Luka Doncic). The two exceptions are Carmelo Anthony (who is, of course, coming up later on this list) and Mitchell. In Mitchell’s case, the #13 overall pick was a revelation for the Jazz, with 20.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. This was even more impressive in that he wasn’t racking up stats for a cellar dweller but instead for a team that won 48 games and reached the Conference Semifinals. In one early season win against the Pelicans, Mitchell’s 40 points set the Utah franchise rookie record. He also eventually set the NBA record (still standing) for three-point field goals by a rookie. But when Rookie of the Year votes were tallied, Mitchell finished a distant second behind Simmons, who averaged an impressive 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game.

13) Kelly Tripucka, ’81-’82 (winner: Buck Williams)
12) Jay Vincent, ’81-’82 (winner: Buck Williams)

We foreshadowed earlier that we’d be returning to the ’81-’82 season and here are the unlikely runners-up in Rookie of the Year voting. Tripucka was the #13 overall pick of the Pistons and joined the roster with much less hype than his fellow rookie, #2 pick Isiah Thomas. While Thomas obviously had the more impactful overall career, Tripucka was the superior rookie, averaging 21.6 points per game, which was second on the team, and 5.4 rebounds per game. As for Vincent, he was actually the third player drafted by the Mavericks in 1981, going with the first pick of the second round, #24 overall, after the team had already selected Mark Aguirre (#1) and Rolando Blackman (#9). This is again a case where fellow rookies became the big time franchise legends but Vincent was the focal point in that first season. He led Dallas in scoring with 21.4 points per game (which would turn out to be a career high) and was second on the team in rebounding with 7.0 per game. 

11) Charles Barkley, ’84-’85 (winner: Michael Jordan)

It’s no surprise that ’84-’85 shows up multiple times towards the top of this list. The 1984 draft class is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, with the G.O.A.T. himself, Jordan, joined by Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, and John Stockton. While Jordan and Olajuwon were able to compile major statistics on previously non-contending teams, Barkley joined a 76ers roster still stacked with the talent that had won a championship just one year prior. Slotted almost immediately into the starting front court with Moses Malone and Julius Erving, Barkley averaged 14.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, helping the Sixers reach the Conference Finals. He didn’t receive any Rookie of the Year votes, which all went to first place finisher Jordan and runner-up Olajuwon. Stockton, meanwhile, had an unassuming first season and doesn’t show up on this list.

10) Clark Kellogg, ’82-’83 (winner: Terry Cummings)

An incredible scorer and rebounder with the perfect size and skill set to flourish as a power forward in the ’80s, Kellogg was a superstar at the high school and college levels and pro success seemed like an inevitable next step. Anticipation of his NBA stardom reached a fever pitch amongst Pacers fans when Kellogg averaged 20.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in his first season. He is one of just 20 rookies to average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game but unfortunately for Kellogg’s Rookie of the Year ambitions, one of the other 19 was his fellow 1982 draftee, Cummings. (Side note: two rookies accomplishing that statistical feat in the same season has happened just one other time and it involves the next player on this list). Though Kellogg’s rookie season turned out to be his statistical peak, he was still a solid and steady player for Indiana for three seasons until a major knee injury ruined his career, forcing him to retire at age 25.

“There’s no doubt now who is the greatest player overall but [LeBron] James vs. [Carmelo] Anthony was a legitimate debate in their collective rookie season”

9) Bill Cartwright, ’79-’80 (winner: Larry Bird)

Lost in the shuffle of the most intriguing Rookie of the Year race in NBA history between Bird and Magic Johnson was the guy who came in third with an all-time performance. This was a theme of Cartwright’s career, as an underrated star early in his career for the Knicks before getting shuffled aside for Patrick Ewing, then later as an overlooked crucial piece of three Bulls championship teams. An incredibly all-around talented center, Cartwright followed in Bill Russell’s footsteps at San Francisco, where he was an All-American, before getting drafted #3 overall in 1979. His rookie season was a marvel, averaging 21.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, which both turned out to be career highs. Cartwright also became one of just 45 first year players in NBA history to be named an All-Star. Of course, that list also includes his fellow rookies Bird and Johnson, who dominated the Rookie of the Year conversation and ultimately the voting. In the 42 years since Cartwright’s debut, only six other players have been named an All-Star in their rookie season but not Rookie of the Year.

8) Bailey Howell, ’59-’60 (winner: Wilt Chamberlain)

Earning Rookie of the Year is hard enough in a normal year, let alone up against a guy who simultaneously won league MVP. That was the tough sledding facing Howell, who started his NBA career at the same time as Chamberlain. While Chamberlain was essentially re-writing the rules of the NBA, winning not just MVP and Rookie of the Year but also All-Star MVP and the scoring and rebounding titles, Howell was quietly producing a great season in Detroit. Drafted second overall out of Mississippi State, Howell was an elite athletic talent who also earned the nickname “Garbage Man” for his propensity to collect loose balls and rebounds. He averaged 17.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as a rookie, albeit in an era where stats were typically inflated by the quick pace of play. Howell would go on to average 17+ points and 10+ rebounds per game in each of his first six seasons and was named to six All-Star teams. One area where Howell did eventually match Chamberlain was championships, as he earned two late in his career with the Celtics.

7) Yao Ming, ’02-’03 (winner: Amare Stoudemire)

Though the hype factor was through the roof, expectations for Yao as a player were actually low heading into his rookie season. Sure, he was drafted #1 overall by the Rockets and was coming off a dominant performance at the 2002 FIBA World Cup, but there were lingering questions about his attitude, his toughness, his offensive polish, and his cultural adjustment. After a slow start (he averaged just 3.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his first six appearances), Yao proved the doubters wrong, announcing his presence with 26 double-doubles over the course of the season, earning Rookie of the Month twice, plus the Sporting News Rookie of the Year award (he was also an All-Star starter but that was largely owed to voting being available for the first time in China). But in one of the closest votes in history, the NBA Rookie of the Year honors were given to Stoudemire, who had almost identical stats with Yao but whose Suns just edged out Yao’s Rockets for the final West playoff spot. It would turn out to be the sixth and final time the NBA Rookie of the Year winner differed from the Sporting News Rookie of the Year, as the latter was discontinued in 2011.

6) Alonzo Mourning, ’92-’93 (winner: Shaquille O’Neal)

Only three rookies in NBA history have averaged 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, and three-plus blocks per game and two of them started their career in ’92-’93. That would be Mourning and O’Neal, who formed arguably the greatest rookie class of centers the NBA has ever seen. Mourning instantly transformed the Hornets franchise that selected him second overall, carrying them to their first ever playoff appearance, where he was the leading scorer and rebounder in a first round series win over Boston (meanwhile, Shaq was watching from home after the Magic missed the playoffs). Mourning would eventually be named Defensive Player of the Year twice but in addition to his runner-up finish in Rookie of the Year voting (O’Neal received 96 out of a possible 98 votes), he also came up just short of being named MVP in ’98-’99, finishing second behind Karl Malone in a controversial decision.

5) Carmelo Anthony, ’03-’04 (winner: LeBron James)

There’s no doubt now who is the greatest player overall but James vs. Anthony was a legitimate debate in their collective rookie season. Both players swept the Rookie of the Month awards, with James winning all six in the Eastern Conference and Anthony reigning supreme in the West. When the dust settled, Anthony had the statistical advantage in scoring (21.0 points per game), rebounding (6.1 per game), and win shares, though James held the major edge in assists (the play making differential would be a theme of the players’ respective careers), as well as steals and blocks. Perhaps due to his one year of college experience leading Syracuse to the national title, Anthony also turned around the Nuggets immediately, leading them to 43 wins and a playoff experience after they finished 17-65 the year prior. He additionally became the second youngest rookie (after Kobe Bryant) to score 30+ points in a game and the second youngest (behind James) to score 40+ in a game. The final Rookie of the Year tally was relatively close though James had a sizable edge in first place votes, with 78 to Anthony’s 40. It’s also notable that the Nuggets, along with the Heat, are one of two current franchises to never produce a Rookie of the Year winner.

4) Marques Johnson, ’77-’78 (winner: Walter Davis)

The ’77-’78 rookie class is a particularly interesting one, littered with players who flashed massive early potential but ultimately settled into a solid but not quite spectacular career. This included Bernard King, Cedric Maxwell, Jack Sikma, Norm Nixon, Robert Reid, Otis Birdsong, Norm Nixon, Eddie Johnson, and the top two vote getters for Rookie of the Year: Davis and Johnson. They both had rookie campaigns that were incredible by any standards. Davis finished in the top 10 in the NBA in scoring with 24.2 points per game, was named 2nd-Team All-NBA in addition to Rookie of the Year, and led a 16-game improvement for the Suns, who finished with the #3 seed in the West. But Johnson was arguably more impactful, averaging 19.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game while instantly revolutionizing the “point forward” position under coach Don Nelson. Davis was named Rookie of the Year but Johnson got the last laugh, outplaying his fellow first year star in the postseason, as Johnson’s Bucks swept Davis’ Suns in a first round series. Johnson’s 10.6 win shares still stand as the rookie record for a player who didn’t win Rookie of the Year.

3) Hakeem Olajuwon, ’84-’85 (winner: Michael Jordan)

“Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan” has become shorthand for terrible NBA draft decisions but it’s telling that no one criticizes the other team that passed on the G.O.A.T. That’s because the Rockets landed Olajuwon, one of just a handful of players in NBA history who could match Jordan’s athleticism, talent, and determination. That was evident from the beginning, when Olajuwon became just one of two players in NBA history (along with Alonzo Mourning) to average 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, and two-plus blocks per game but not earn Rookie of the Year. That’s because Jordan was brilliant from the start, finishing third in the NBA with 28.2 points per game, and adding 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. How many rookies in NBA history have averaged 25+ points, five-plus rebounds, and five-plus assists per game? Two: Jordan and Oscar Robertson. Olajuwon did still snag 20.5 first place votes, which placed him in second place behind Jordan’s 57.5.

2) Elvin Hayes, ’68-’69 (winner: Wes Unseld)

In 1978, Hayes and Unseld led the Bullets (now Wizards) to their first and only championship in franchise history. Hayes was the team leader in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots in the NBA Finals victory over the Sonics but Unseld walked away with the Finals MVP trophy. This was just history repeating itself for Hayes. A decade earlier, he averaged 28.4 points per game for the Rockets, becoming the third (and final) rookie to take the NBA scoring title (the other two were Wilt Chamberlain and George Mikan). But Unseld, who averaged only 13.8 points per game, was named not just Rookie of the Year but also league MVP. We’re not here to denigrate Unseld, a legendary player who, it should be noted, also averaged 18.6 rebounds per game as a rookie while proving himself an elite passer, defender, and screen setter for a Bullets team that finished with the East’s best record. But it’s hard to fathom in retrospect how Hayes not only lost out on Rookie of the Year (Unseld won the vote 53-25) but wasn’t named All-NBA (Unseld was 1st-Team) and didn’t receive a single MVP vote. 

1) Magic Johnson, ’79-’80 (winner: Larry Bird)

In the HBO series “Winning Time,” we saw Johnson get a motivational boost at halftime of game six of the 1980 NBA Finals when Pat Riley informed him that Bird was named Rookie of the Year by a 63-3 vote. Like much of the show, this scene was likely a creative liberty in how it was portrayed but that voting result was an accurate representation. It was one of the earliest salvos of the greatest rivalry in NBA history. Bird, who was three years older at the time, averaged 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, while Johnson finished with 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. Both players led their respective teams to the #1 seed in the playoffs but in the NBA Finals, Johnson’s Lakers took on the 76ers, who had previously eliminated Boston in the Conference Finals. Granted. Johnson had the better supporting cast, flanked by All-Star level talent in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Norm Nixon, and Jamaal Wilkes, but he proved his ultimate worth in the Finals, earning MVP honors after taking over as the starting center in game six.