TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – Scottie Barnes, who helped lead Florida State to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and went on to become the No. 4 overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 2021 NBA Draft, has been named the 2021-22 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year as announced by the NBA. Barnes received 48 first place votes and finished first in the voting by a select global group of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. He is the first Seminole player to be named the NBA Rookie of the Year since Dave Cowens was named the Co-Rookie of the Year in 1971. Cowens shared the award with Geoff Petrie of Portland. Barnes proved to be the most well-rounded rookie in the NBA this season as he averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks in 35.4 minutes in 74 games. He led all NBA rookies in minutes played, ranking third in points and rebounds and fifth in assists, steals and blocks. He is the sixth rookie in NBA history to average at least 15.0 points, 7.0 reb
ANKARA - New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin won the 2022 AT&T Slam Dunk contest in the NBA All-Star weekend on Saturday night. Cole Anthony (Orlando Magic), Juan Toscano-Anderson (Golden State Warriors), Obi Toppin (New York Knicks), and Jalen Green (Houston Rockets) joined the slam dunk contest at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland. Obi Toppin, 23, racked up 44 points out of 50 in the first round before getting a score of 46 in the second. Toscano-Anderson had 44 in the first round and bagged 43 points in round two. Green and Anthony were eliminated after the second round. In the final round, Obi Toppin beat Toscano-Anderson, scoring 47 in the final round. Toscano-Anderson ran out of attempts on his final dunk and was handed 30 points to lose. Former NBA players Dominique Wilkins, Isiah Thomas, Clyde Drexler, David Robinson, and Julius Erving were the judges. Karl-Anthony Towns wins 3-Point contest Minnesota Timberwolves' center-forward Karl-Anthony Towns won the 2022 MTN D