NBA Rookie of the year: 5 Best NBA rookies of all time

#3 Lew Alcindor Jr. (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)

Lew Alcindor(#33) converted to Islam in 1968 but only made it public in 1971 taking the Arabic name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

A UCLA star, Alcindor was the first overall pick of 1969 NBA draft by Milwaukee Bucks. He carried on his college form into his professional career winning the NBA Rookie of the year for an extraordinary first season. He dominated the league from his beginning days, averaging 28.8 points(second in the league) and 14.5 rebounds per game as a rookie.

His recruitment led to the Bucks improving on their previous season's record of 27-55 to 56-26 with Kareem (then Alcindor), playing the pivotal role. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went on to win 6 NBA championships and still leads the NBA All-Time Points list with 38,387 points(24.6 ppg). He saw his prime days with the Los Angeles Lakers where he moved in 1975, winning five of six championship rings with them.