The 25 best rookie seasons in NBA history

37 points and 27 rebounds per game is a ridiculous stat line to average over the course of a season. It's especially wild to do it in your rookie season. Not only did Wilt definitively stand out as the Rookie Of The Year, but he won the league MVP, too.

Besides Wilt, the only other player to win MVP their rookie season is Unseld. While his sub-14-PPG wasn't much, his 18 rebounds were, as was his impact on winning. Before he arrived, the Bullets were a sub-.500 team, and immediately after, they boasted the NBA's best record.

MJ received only peripheral MVP consideration his rookie year, but he was still the easy Rookie Of The Year pick (and that's despite how awesome Hakeem Olajuwon was). Jordan entered the NBA guns blazing, leading the league in total points and just barely missing out on second place in PPG. Pair that with about six rebounds, six assists, and 2.5 steals per night and that's a phenomenal season, rookie or not.

In 1969, the Bucks' first season in the NBA, they finished the league's second-worst record. In their second season, their first with the player then known as Lew Alcindor, they improved to the second-best record. Kareem's 29 points and 14 rebounds per night had a lot to do with that.

"Mr. Triple Double" almost earned that nickname his very first season, with rookie-year averages of 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game. (He would go on to achieve the feat the next season.) His size and versatility changed expectations for what an NBA guard could be, and Oscar's career remains one of the most statistically impressive of all time.

After getting drafted first overall in 1987, it wasn't until the 1990 season that Robinson made his debut, due to military obligations. The wait was so worth it, though, as he was instantly dominant with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and a hair under four blocks per game. He was a lock for ROY, but "The Admiral" earned All-Star, All-Defense, and All-NBA honors, too.

With Bird in tow, the Celtics improved their record by 32 wins his rookie year. Bird was quickly a confident scorer, playmaker, and rebounder, an All-Star and easy Rookie Of The Year recipient. His excellence was a major narrative win, too, as his rivalry with fellow rookie Magic Johnson is widely credited for helping revitalize the league.

Duncan's first season was different. His first year, he averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game, enough to earn him All-NBA First Team honors. The Spurs had one of the league's best records that year, and while they weren't quite ready to start winning titles yet, Duncan impressed in his first postseason, including posting a 32-point, 10-rebound night in his playoff debut, a win.

Larry Bird was a near-unanimous pick for ROY over Magic, but that didn't mean Magic wasn't a phenom. The 6'9" guard showed he could do it all, averaging 18 points and over 7 rebounds and assists each per game. He immediately brought success to L.A., leading the team to a championship and winning Finals MVP despite being a fresh face in the NBA.

Fifteen rebounds per game is impressive, especially when it's during your rookie season and you're also averaging 25 points a night. After winning Rookie Of The Year, Baylor even led his Lakers to the Finals in 1959, though they had the misfortune of running into the Celtics team that would go on to kick off a legendary run of '60s domination. While Baylor retired without a ring, he was one of the league's best players for over a decade.

Shaq was the clear No. 1 pick in the 1992 draft and it worked out right away for Orlando. In his first 10 games, O'Neal averaged 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game, which were about his numbers for the rest of the season, too. In the biggest night of his rookie campaign, Shaq came through with a phenomenal 46 points, 21 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a February overtime loss.

Hakeem had one of the best rookie seasons for a player to not win ROY (thanks to Michael Jordan). Forming Houston's "Twin Towers" with Ralph Sampson, there were early indicators that the duo would be trouble for the next few years. Hakeem showed in particular that he was a beast on the boards, leading the league in offensive rebounds per game.

Iverson was the top pick of a stacked 1996 draft and he showed why, scoring 23 points and dishing 7 assists per game that season. He even managed a 50-point game late in the campaign. Perhaps the more notable performance, though, came just days earlier, when he put up 44 against Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

Dončić was one of most hyped European prospects in a while when he was picked third overall in 2018. He quickly showed why, putting up 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists a night for the Mavericks. It was obvious immediately that he would be the face of the franchise for years to come (until the baffling Anthony Davis trade).

Many call LeBron the GOAT, and he certainly was his first year if "GOAT" stands for "greatest rookie of the 2003-04 season." He showed off his well-rounded game early with 21 points and about 6 rebounds and assists each per contest. He had a tantalizing opening night, too, dropping 25 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals in his first game.

Injury delayed Griffin's debut by a year, but he was electric once he took the court. Aside from 22 points and 12 rebounds, he became a regular source of highlight-reel dunks, especially at the dunk contest, where he became a high-flying icon. The Clippers had always been second to the Lakers, but finally, there was some real excitement going on with L.A.'s other team.

Long before he was "The Point God," Paul was an outstanding rookie for the then-New Orleans Hornets. He established himself as a promising scorer and facilitator with rookie averages of 16 points and 8 assists per game, but also as a strong defender with two steals per contest. Indeed, he'd later lead the NBA in assists and steals per game for multiple seasons each and make plenty of All-Star and All-Defense teams.

Even while missing significant time with injuries his rookie year, Ewing still earned ROY honors with averages of 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. While Ewing didn't make the Knicks competitive right away, he was at least a new spark of hope as the Bernard King era was coming to an end. Within a few seasons, though, New York was back in the playoffs, and they had their first Finals appearance in years in 1994.

It's easy to forget that Durant was the bridge between the Seattle and Oklahoma City eras of the Sonics/Thunder franchise. Before the move, KD got a season under his belt in Seattle, where he immediately showed promise as a scorer, averaging 20 a night. He was in a real groove at the very end of the season: In his final 2008 game, he netted a then-career-high 42 points.

Thomas was the catalyst to the Pistons becoming one of the defining teams of the '80s. He got off to a hot start with rookie averages of 17 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals per contest. Thomas helped pushed Detroit to a just under .500 record, a marked improvement over their 21-61 finish the season before.

Hill quickly demonstrated he was one of the league's most diverse players with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals per game in his debut season. He even made the All-Star game, despite his Pistons generally being dreadful in the 1995-96 season. The legacy of Hill's rookie season, though, is that he's one of the rare co-winners of Rookie Of The Year, sharing the honor with Jason Kidd.

The 2003 draft class is one of the greatest ever, with all of the top-5 picks (minus Darko) went on to be era-defining multi-time All-Stars. Except LeBron, Carmelo had the longest career of them all with 19 years in the league, and he started out strong with 21 points and 6 rebounds per game his rookie season. He didn't nab the ROY trophy, but he was a not-so-distant second in voting to LeBron.

Even when he was still in high school, Flagg was one of the most-hyped prospects since LeBron James. He dealt with some injury issues his rookie season, but when on the court, he's been regularly good for 20-point nights and some athletic defensive highlights. He was just 18 years old for the first portion of the season, during which time he set various NBA records for being the youngest player to reach some scoring milestones.

Knueppel and Flagg's NBA stories are intertwined: Not only were they both top-five picks from Duke in the same draft, but they were actually roommates in college. Immediately, Knueppel made his impact known league-wide. He was already one of the NBA's best shooters as a rookie, and just 59 games into his first year, he broke the record for most threes in a season by a rookie, on well over 40 percent shooting from that range, too.

The young Raptors franchise needed a jolt of energy in the late '90s and that's just what Vince provided. He premiered during the lockout-shortened 1999 season, but when he did get to play, he was electrifying with his vertical explosiveness. He could score from all over the court and his athletic wow-factor helped legitimize Toronto's NBA journey early on.