LaMelo Ball was announced on Wednesday as the league’s Rookie of the Year, putting to end a month’s worth of speculation since the Hornets’ season came to an end. While the announcement was a memorable moment for Ball and the franchise, it also long considered inevitable as well.
Ball captured the first three Rookie of the Month awards in the Eastern Conference before going down with his wrist injury. His return helped seal him winning the award as he finished with 84 first-place votes of a possible 99 and appeared no lower than second on any ballot.
Given the expected nature of the announcement, the Hornets prepared a video of Ball’s teammates this season congratulating him on winning the Rookie of the Year award. The video is highlighted by Bismack Biyombo telling him to both put a shirt on and listen to better music.
The Hornets posted the video to Twitter shortly after the award was officially announced.
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