Jun 26, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Milwaukee Bucks player Malcolm Brogdon poses for photos in the press room with his rookie of the year award during the 2017 NBA Awards at Basketball City at Pier 36. Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
NEW YORK — Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon won NBA Rookie of the Year and Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon won the Sixth Man of the Year Award Monday night at the first-ever NBA awards show in New York.
Brogdon beat out Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Dario Saric.
Brogdon made history by becoming the first player not picked in the first round since the common draft era began in 1966 to win the award. He also became the first Buck to win the award since Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1969-70 season.
Gordon beat out teammate Lou Williams and Golden State’s Andre Iguodala.
He also made a little bit of history by becoming the first Houston player to win the award in his first season with the team. He also became the first player to win it after primarily coming off the bench for the first time in his career.
The Bucks used the 36th overall pick to select Brogdon in the 2016 draft and he helped Milwaukee reach the postseason by averaging 10.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 75 games (28 starts).
Brogdon also shot 40.4 percent from 3-point range and shot 86.5 percent from the foul line. His assists (4.2) and steals (1.1) per game were tops among rookies while his 3-point and free-throw percentages ranked second.
Brogdon started all six playoff games for the Bucks against Toronto, and ranked first among rookies in the playoffs with 3.5 assists per game, and was second in points (9.0) and rebounds (4.3) per game.
“Malcolm worked tirelessly to improve his game and became a valuable contributor,” said Bucks coach Jason Kidd, who won co-Rookie of the Year honors with Grant Hill in 1995. “In fact, he was so reliable it was easy to forget that he was a rookie. Malcolm has a boundless future and we want to congratulate him on winning this well-earned award.”
Before joining the Bucks, Brogdon played four seasons at Virginia for coach Tony Bennett. He is the first ACC Player of the Year and NBA Rookie of the Year since Elton Brand.
“I am both humbled and honored to win this award,” Brogdon said in a statement released by the team. “As the oldest rookie to win this award in decades, I know it is the culmination of many special people who believed in me, starting with my mother, and continuing with my owners, my teammates, Coach Kidd and the entire Bucks’ staff.
“My five years at Virginia truly prepared me for the NBA and for life after the NBA. Thanks to Coach Bennett for a great education in basketball and for making me better. Thanks to the great fans of Milwaukee. Their work ethic truly inspires me every night.”
Gordon signed with the Rockets and only came off the bench 19 times in his first eight seasons. He was a reserve in 60 of the 75 games he played in and averaged 17.6 points and his 206 3-pointers off the bench were 27 more than the previous record.
The Rockets were 35-7 when Gordon scored at least 15 points.
