PHOENIX (AP) — Amare Stoudemire won the NBA Rookie of the Year award Thursday, the first player to do so after coming to the league directly from high school.
The Phoenix Suns forward — quick, powerful and barely out of his teens — beat out Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, last year's No. 1 draft pick.
Stoudemire received 458 points, including 59 of a possible 117 first-place votes, in balloting by sports writers and broadcasters. Yao finished with 405 points. Caron Butler of Miami was third with 179.