RJ Abarrientos stood tallest among freshmen after being named the Korean Basketball League Rookie of the Year on Thursday.
RJ Abarrientos is KBL top rookie
The 5-foot-11 point guard showed he deserved the award after averaging 13.6 points, 2.7 triples, 4.8 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 29.1 minutes over 51 games in his maiden season in Korea.
The 23-year-old Gilas Pilipinas and Far Eastern University product’s playmaking steered Ulsan Hyundai Mobis to a 34-20 record to secure the fourth seed.
Abarrientos edged fellow rookies, including another Filipino import Rhenz Abando, who cheered for Abarrientos by taking a video while the winner was going on stage during the award ceremony.
“Thank you to my coaches, especially my Mobis team, to all my teammates for helping me through a lot on and off the court,” Abarrientos said in his acceptance speech.
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