One thing that has become commonplace for the NBA has been the offseason surveys as every year, there are a few that come out whether it be from players or general managers.
One that has been around for some time is the annual NBA Rookie Survey in which the league’s newest players get polled on a number of questions.
While most are focused on the rookies themselves, one question that is always asked is who their favorite player is and throughout the history of this survey, only three players have won the poll — with two being Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant are the only players to win the poll and that streak continued.
In the 2019 NBA Rookie Survey, James was again named the favorite player in the league among rookies, marking his third straight season at the top:
1. LeBron James, L.A. Lakers — 38%
2. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn — 20%
3. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers — 8%
Damian Lillard, Portland — 8%5. Devin Booker, Phoenix — 5%
James Harden, Houston — 5%Others receiving votes: Jamal Crawford; Kevin Garnett; Paul George, LA Clippers; C.J. McCollum, Portland; Steve Nash; Pascal Siakam, Toronto; Russell Westbrook, Houston
Not only does James lead the way once again, but in garnering 38% of the vote, he tied Bryant in 2010 for the largest percentage of votes received in the poll. The list as a whole makes a lot of sense with Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, and James Harden all among the league’s top players. Devin Booker is something of a surprise but considering his style of play and scoring exploits, his popularity is understandable.
It is worth noting that once again there were a couple of retired players named including a former Laker, but shockingly, it wasn’t Bryant. Steve Nash received votes as did Kevin Garnett, keeping up the trend of players out of the league still being amongst incoming rookies’ favorites.
Nonetheless, James continues his reign at the top of this list for the third consecutive season and it makes sense.
While some balk at the debate, James is the ‘Michael Jordan‘ of this era and for this generation of players. There are some like Durant, Leonard, and Giannis Antetokounmpo who are coming for the throne, but James continues to reign supreme amongst this generation.