Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns won the 2002-03 got milk? Rookie of the Year Award, the NBA announced today. Stoudemire received 458 points – including 59 of a possible 117 first-place votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada – to earn the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the league’s top rookie. 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 received. Houston’s Yao Ming finished second with 405 points and Miami’s Caron Butler was third with 179 points.
Stoudemire played in all 82 games for the Suns, starting in 71 on his way to averaging 13.5 points (tied for second among rookies) and 8.8 rebounds (first for all rookies and second on the Suns) per contest. The 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward posted 25 double-double performances (points-rebounds) this season, which ranked 18th overall in the league. His many highlight games included a season-high 38-point, 14-rebound performance versus the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 30, 2002.
The ninth overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft and a graduate of Cypress Creek High School in Orlando, Stoudemire was twice honored with the got milk? Rookie of the Month Award for the Western Conference this season (January and April). Stoudemire is the first Suns player to earn the rookie monthly honor twice in one season and is only the third Suns player to be honored as a Rookie of the Month since the award’s inception.
Stoudemire is the third member of the Phoenix Suns to win got milk? Rookie of the Year honors since the franchise’s entrance into the NBA before the 1968-69 season. Alvan Adams (1975-76) and Walter Davis (1977-78) are the team’s previous honorees.
Stoudemire was presented his award today by Suns Chairman and CEO Jerry Colangelo. He will be officially presented with the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy before Friday night’s Game 3 of the Suns-Spurs first round playoff series by NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik and Mike Krueger, Milk Processors Education Program Board Member, presenting on behalf of America’s Milk Processors Education Program.
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.
The got milk? Milk Mustache campaign is sponsoring the NBA Rookie platform to highlight the importance of milk's bone-building calcium and eight other essential nutrients for active people, teens especially, who add about 15 percent of their height during these years. The platform includes the got milk? Rookie Challenge, the got milk? Rookie of the Month awards, the got milk? Rookie of the Year award and the got milk? All-Rookie Team.
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