After a season-ending injury early on during the 2024-2025 NBA season, Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain knew his campaign for the Rookie of the Year award was over.
However, with the voting results revealed on Tuesday night, McCain was still included slightly. The Sixers’ rookie landed a single third-place vote, tying the Chicago Bulls’ Matas Buzelis with one point.
Ultimately, San Antonio Spurs standout Stephon Castle took home the hardware. With 92 first-place votes, seven second-place votes, and a single third-place vote, Castle dominated all rookies and won the award with 482 points.
The runner-up, Zaccharie Risacher had 245 votes.
A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
The complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/VrvxR9N4tT
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 29, 2025
For what it’s worth, McCain was viewed as an early favorite for the award. Although the Sixers didn’t have major plans for McCain in year one, injuries across the roster left them with no choice but to give their rookie a shot. McCain made the most out of the opportunity.
In 23 games, McCain averaged 15 points on 46 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He also produced two rebounds and three assists per game.
An unfortunate injury in mid-December forced McCain to undergo surgery on his knee. While the Sixers didn’t rule him out right away, they eventually called it a season for the rookie guard.
Despite missing out on his goal of winning Rookie of the Year, McCain showed enough to enter year two with a guaranteed opportunity to win a key rotational role right away. The former Duke guard is following the footsteps of Tyrese Maxey, who took a major leap by the time he reached year two in the NBA.
