Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers is the recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2010-11 NBA Rookie of the Year Award - NBA photo

NBA AWARDS - CLIPPERS' BLAKE GRIFFIN ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Griffin is the first unanimous Rookie of the Year selection since David Robinson in 1989-90, receiving 118 first-place votes (590 points) from an equal number of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada

THE HIGH FYING CLIPPER

NEW YORK, NY USA

Thursday May 05, 2011

Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers is the recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the NBA Rookie of the Year. Griffin is the first unanimous Rookie of the Year selection since David Robinson in 1989-90, receiving 118 first-place votes (590 points) from an equal number of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

Washington's John Wall finished second with 295 points and Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins finished third with 81 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Griffin, who was selected first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft but missed the entire 2009-10 season due to injury (stress fracture, left knee), recorded a rookie-and team-leading 22.5 ppg (12th overall), 12.1 rpg (fourth overall) and 63 double-doubles (third overall). He was the only player in the NBA to average at least 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Griffin became the first rookie to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds since Elton Brand (20.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg) in 1999-2000; and he was only the fourth rookie to total at least 1,600 points, 900 rebounds and 250 assists, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-70), Elgin Baylor (1958-59) and Sidney Wicks (1971-72).

A six-time Western Conference Rookie of the Month selection, Griffin became the first rookie to appear in an NBA All-Star Game since Yao Ming in 2003. Griffin also participated in the Rookie Challenge and won the Sprite Slam Dunk contest. On March 23, he recorded the first triple-double of his NBA career --- 33 points, 17 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists in the Clippers' double-overtime win over Washington, becoming the first rookie to record a triple-double of at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists since Jerry West did it on Feb. 26, 1961 (38 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists).

The Eddie Gottlieb Trophy is named in honor of Eddie Gottlieb, one of the NBA's founders who coached the Philadelphia Warriors to the NBA championship in 1946-47.