NEW YORK -- Larry Johnson, the league's top-scoring rookie who led the Charlotte Hornets to their best record, Tuesday was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year.
The 6-foot-7 forward from Nevada-Las Vegas received 90.5 of a possible 96 votes from a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters -- three from each NBA city and 15 representing the national media.
Denver center Dikembe Mutombo was second with 3.5 votes followed by Golden State forward Billy Owens with 2.
Johnson, the No. 1 pick in last year's NBA draft, averaged 19.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game. He carried the Hornets to a 31-51 record, the best mark in the team's four years and a five-game improvement over last season.
Johnson's 1,576 points set a team rookie scoring record and his 899 rebounds shattered Kurt Rambis's team mark of 703. Johnson shot .490 percent from the field and .829 from the foul line.
'I try to take everything in stride and keep working hard, and hopefully I will come back next year and have an even better year,' Johnson said. 'I had a pretty good start, I had my confidence.'
Johnson had only one slight regret at being named top rookie. Mutombo, his main competition, missed much of the second half of the campaign with a torn thumb ligament.
'I would have liked to have won the Rookie of the Year award with Dikembe still playing,' Johnson said. 'If I was hurt and lost Rookie of the Year and couldn't answer the last bell, I'd tell him, 'You got it because I got hurt.' If Dikembe says that to me next year, I'll say, 'Yeah, right.''
When Johnson and Mutombo last met on Feb. 19 in a 106-104 Hornets victory, Johnson scored a career-high 34 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. Mutombo had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
At that time, Mutombo, who led all rookies in rebounding with a 12.3 average, was considered by many the heavy favorite for Rookie of the Year. Since that game, Johnson's outstanding play made him the front- runner.
'It started when I gained confidence in my outside shot,' Johnson said. 'Once I gained confidence in my outside shot and played the perimeter, a lot of other things opened up for me on the offense. We started winning some ball games.'
Johnson's game has drawn comparisons with that of Charles Barkley, Buck Williams and Moses Malone.
'Larry Johnson is one of the stronger ones, that is for sure,' said Celtics center Robert Parish. 'He has great upper body strength, plus he has a great touch for someone that strong.'
Johnson is particularly gratified to be likened to Barkley.
'There is only one Charles Barkley and there are no more Barkleys,' Johnson said. 'He is only 6-4 and the most dominating guy down low. He is a great player down low, but he can also go outside and beat you.
'If I had my choice, I would try to play like Barkley. But I have to work at what I have and hope 12 to 15 years from now, people will say, 'There are no more Larry Johnsons.''
Johnson will receive the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the top rookie. Gottlieb was one of the NBA's founding fathers and coach of the league's first championship team, the 1947 Philadelphia Warriors.
