A Chicago native, Rose was drafted first overall by the Bulls after playing just one season at the University of Memphis. He averaged 16.8 points, 6.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds while missing just one regular season game for the Bulls. Rose scored in double digits 71 times, including 32 games of at least 20 points, and topped all rookies in assists.
Rose, who finished second to Mayo (18.5) in rookie scoring, becomes the third Bulls player to win Rookie of the Year, joining Michael Jordan (1985) and Elton Brand, who finished in a tie in 2000 with Houston's Steve Francis.
The 20-year-old Rose notched double figure scoring in his first 10 games, the first Bulls player to accomplish the feat since Jordan.
He received 111 first-place votes for a total of 574 points from a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Memphis' O.J. Mayo finished second with 246 points and New Jersey's Brook Lopez was third with 127 points.
"I would like to thank the Bulls organization for helping me out the whole season," Rose said. "When I first came into the season my biggest thing was to get this award. I guess I was telling [everyone] I didn't care about it, but when you're coming in, you really do want this award. It shows how much work you put into it."
Although playoff performances don't factor in the voting, Rose tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most points (36) in a rookie debut playoff game in Chicago's victory over the Celtics on Saturday
