Top 5 players with the best rookie season of all-time in the NBA

#3 Wes Unseld

Former Washington Wizards player Wes Unseld. Picture credits: cnn.com

Almost a decade after Wilt Chamberlain's historic rookie NBA season, Wes Unseld became the second player in league history to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in their debut campaign. Unseld came into the NBA as the second overall pick and arguably had the best year of his career in the 1968-69 season, helping the Baltimore Bullets register a division-topping 57-25 record.

Unfortunately, the Bullets crashed out of the playoffs in the first round after being swept by the New York Knicks. However, that cannot detract from what was an immense campaign from the young center.

Unseld ended the season with an average of 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds per game while shooting at 47% from the field. He would go on to play his entire career with the same franchise, helping them to four NBA Finals appearances in the 1970s and one championship in 1978.

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#2 Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson at the LA Lakers' media availability

Drafted as the No.1 overall pick in 1979 by the LA Lakers, it didn't take long for Magic Johnson to make his impact in the NBA. He immediately settled into the team's backcourt and was not intimidated by stars such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes or Norm Nixon.

In his debut season, Johnson played 77 games and averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.4 steals. He shot the ball at 53% from the field and over 80% from the line.

Magic Johnson turns 60 todayHappy birthday to a legend 🎈 pic.twitter.com/eLOrPOlV5j

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 14, 2019

What makes Johnson's rookie season stand out from others on this list is his superior exploits in the playoffs.

He improved his output across the floor in points, assists and rebounds and grabbed five triple-doubles as the Lakers lifted their first championship in eight years. In the NBA Finals' series-deciding game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Johnson put up an incredible 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

The point guard, a 12-time All-Star, would go on to become the cornerstone of one of the greatest teams in league history.

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#1 Wilt Chamberlain

One of the All-Time NBA greats, Wilt Chamberlain

There are certainly a lot of lists in NBA history that Wilt Chamberlain topped throughout his career due to his exploits, including this one.

Before he won his two NBA championships, though, Chamberlain was tearing up the league and is one of only two players to have won both the Rookie of the Year and league MVP awards in the same season, the other being Unseld.

In the 1959-60 NBA campaign, Chamberlain played for the Philadelphia Warriors as part of a territorial draft format. He averaged an incredible 37.6 points and 27 rebounds during the campaign - leading the NBA in both stats - while shooting at 46% from the field. Although the Warriors would be halted one round short of the NBA finals in that season's playoffs, Chamberlain helped turn them into a winning franchise once again.

It's difficult to imagine \any rookie would ever have a season quite like Wilt Chamberlain's, certainly not with the current style of play in the NBA.