The winner is selected by a panel of United States and Canadian sportswriters and broadcasters,[1] each casting first-, second-, and third-place votes (worth five points, three points, and one point, respectively). The player(s) with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.[2]
The most recent collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and
its players' union, which takes effect with the
2023–24 season, introduces a requirement that a player appear in at least 65 regular-season games to be eligible for most major regular-season awards. However, this rule does not apply to the Rookie of the Year award and the All-Rookie Team.[3][4]
Patrick Ewing of Jamaica,[7]Pau Gasol of Spain,
Kyrie Irving and
Ben Simmons of Australia,
Andrew Wiggins of Canada, and
Luka Dončić of Slovenia are the only winners not born in the United States. Three of these individuals have dual nationality by birth—Wiggins and Simmons have American fathers, and both of Irving's parents are Americans. Ewing immigrated to the
Boston area at age 11, Irving moved to the United States at age 2, and Wiggins and Simmons moved to the U.S. while in high school. Gasol and Dončić are the only winners trained entirely outside the United States.
Prior to the
1952–53 season, the Rookie of the Year was selected by newspaper writers;[21] however, the NBA does not officially recognize those players as winners. The league did publish the pre-1953 winners in their 1994–95 edition of the Official NBA Guide and the 1994 Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia, but those winners have not been listed in subsequent publications.[21][22][23]
^
abThough drafted in 1962 by the Cincinnati Royals, Jerry Lucas did not sign with the team until 1963 when he tried to sign with the
Cleveland Pipers of the
American Basketball League instead. He ended up sitting out the year when the deal fell through. His rookie season with the Royals began in the
1963–64 season.[9]
^
abcdDenotes seasons in which joint winners were named
^
abThough drafted in 1978 by the Boston Celtics, Larry Bird opted to stay in college for his senior year and did not play in the NBA until 1979. His rookie season with the Celtics began in the
1979–80 season.[10]
^
abThough drafted in 1987 by the San Antonio Spurs, David Robinson did not play in the NBA until 1989 due to commitments to the
United States Navy.[13] His rookie season with the Spurs began in the
1989–90 season.[14]
^Because Tim Duncan is a United States citizen by birth, as are all natives of the U.S. Virgin Islands,[15] he was able to play for the U.S. internationally. He represented the United States at the
2004 Summer Olympics[16]
^
abThough drafted in 2009 by the Los Angeles Clippers, Blake Griffin missed the entire
2009–10 season due to a knee injury. His rookie season with the Clippers was the
2010–11 season.[17]
^Karl-Anthony Towns was born and raised in the United States to an American father and a Dominican mother.[18] He has represented the
Dominican Republic internationally since 2012.[19]
^Though drafted in 2016 by the Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons missed the entire
2016–17 season due to a broken right foot. His rookie season with the Sixers was the
2017–18 season.[20]
^"Article XXIX, Section 6: Games Played Requirement for Certain League Honors"(PDF). NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. National Basketball Players Association. July 2023. pp. 432–38. Retrieved September 13, 2023. The games played requirement specifically applies to the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Most Improved Player awards, as well as the All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams. Rookie awards are not mentioned.
^Goldstein, Allan (October 30, 1994).
"NBA forgot it honored Hoffman". The Baltimore Sun.
Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2011.