The effervescent personality, the hugs, the smiles, the youthful exuberance all combine to make Scottie Barnes a unique young man in the hard world of professional sports.
But his athletic abilities make him an even more unique basketball player, one judged to be the best rookie in the NBA for the 2021-22 season.
The fourth overall pick in last summer’s draft, Barnes was named the league’s rookie of the year Saturday afternoon, minutes before the Raptors faced the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of their playoff series.
The 20-year-old Floridian received 48 first-place votes, 43 for second and nine for third in balloting among 100 media members who cover the league regularly.