National Basketball Association

Rookie Rout

Updated Sep. 3, 2020 9:30 p.m. ET

The NBA has announced its 2020 Rookie of the Year award winner – and it wasn't all that close.

Memphis Grizzlies point guard and the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft Ja Morant was named the winner of the award after a stellar rookie season, handily holding off No. 1 pick Zion Williamson and Miami Heat rookie Kendrick Nunn.

And no one was more excited for Morant than his daughter.

After finding out that one member of the media didn't vote for him, Morant didn't take it personally.

In fact, it appears he will be using it as motivation going into next season.

More motivation for Morant could mean more problems for the rest of the NBA, seeing as how he averaged 17.8 points and 7.3 assists in his rookie season.

Morant's individual brilliance rubbed off on his Grizzlies squad as well, considering Memphis served as one of the league's biggest surprises this season.

Before the season was suspended due to COVID-19 on March 11, he had the Grizzlies in the eighth spot of the Western Conference standings, and when play resumed, he led them to the play-in game against the Portland Trail Blazers for the final Western Conference playoff spot.

He scored a career-high 35 points in a 126-122 loss.