Ball topped finalists Anthony Edwards from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Tyrese Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings to win the award, which was determined by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league.
Despite missing 21 games with a fractured wrist, the 19-year-old Ball led all rookies in assists and steals and made an immediate impact with the Hornets, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in just his 10th career game on Jan.
Haliburton fell to 12th in the draft, where the Iowa State product was happily scooped up by the Kings.
Edwards, on the other hand, initially struggled out of the gate after being taken first overall by the Timberwolves out of Georgia.
Ball’s stellar court vision was on display early on with some highlight reel alley-oop passes to Miles Bridges, and it only took 20 games before he was inserted into the starting lineup for good.
This is the last of the six major individual awards to be handed out by the NBA this offseason.