NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hitting a game-winning buzzer beater was the most memorable moment of the season for Sacramento's Tyreke Evans, named the NBA's rookie of the year on Thursday after leading his team in scoring.
Evans, the fourth overall pick by Sacramento in the 2009 draft, said a late effort that helped beat the Milwaukee Bucks was his highlight.
"I always watched a lot of NBA games and I'd see guys hit buzzer beaters and their team mates would run out on the court," Evans told reporters.
"That's just the most exciting moment of my career right there, hitting the buzzer beater. I always dreamed to do that."
Evans averaged a rookie best and team-leading 20.1 points per game, a team-high 5.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds a game.
He joins Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players to average at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists in their rookie campaigns.
Evans received 67 first-place votes out of a possible 123 to edge out Golden State's Stephen Curry and Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings.
(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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