SACRAMENTO, CA, April 29, 2010 ---- The National Basketball Association today announced that Sacramento Kings’ guard Tyreke Evans is the recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2009-10 T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year.

“This is a great day in Sacramento Kings history,” said Kings’ owner Joe Maloof. “I’m extremely happy for Tyreke and all of the hard work he’s put in. It’s a tribute to Paul (Westphal) and his coaching staff, his teammates, this organization, this community and our fans.”

Evans becomes the first Kings player to win a postseason honor since Bobby Jackson was named 2002-03 Sixth Man of the Year. He is also the first King to win the award in the Sacramento era. Other players to win Rookie of the Year in Kings’ franchise history include Phil Ford (Kansas City Kings, 1978-79), Jerry Lucas (Cincinnati Royals, 1963-64), Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati Royals, 1960-61) and Maurice Stokes (Rochester Royals, 1955-56).

“I’m really happy for Tyreke,” explained Kings’ owner Gavin Maloof. “He worked hard for it and deserves it. What a historic season he had. This team made strides in the right direction this year and I can really see us turning the corner in the very near future with Tyreke leading the way. This is an award that everyone should take pride in, especially this community and our fans.”

Cementing his place in NBA history, Evans became the fourth rookie ever to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, joining elites LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson.

“Everyone in the organization is thrilled at Tyreke being named this year’s Rookie of the Year,” said Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie, who won Co-Rookie of the Year honors (shared the award with Boston’s Dave Cowens) as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers in 1970-71. “It’s a terrific honor to go along with great accomplishment and an outstanding season. The future continues to be very bright for him and the rest of the organization. We’re all looking forward to Tyreke’s continued growth and progress as a player and member of the Sacramento Kings.”

Selected by Sacramento as an undergraduate out of Memphis with the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Evans averaged a team-leading 20.1 points (.458 FGs, .748 FTs), 5.3 rebounds, a team-high 5.8 assists and 1.51 steals per game through 72 outings, all of which he started in his first NBA season. He ranked 16th in the NBA in scoring average, tied for 14th in assists per game and 16th in steals per game. Among rookies, Evans ranked first in scoring average, second in assists per game, second in steals per game and fifth in rebounds per game.

“I think it was apparent to everyone around the Kings that Tyreke was a very special player right from the beginning,” explained Kings’ Head Coach Paul Westphal. “We all knew how talented he was, but we had no idea how consistent he would be or how dominant he would be as soon as he was. He gained a lot of respect from his teammates and players he played against right from the start and continued it throughout the entire season. Tyreke justly deserves this award over some other outstanding candidates. We’re really happy for him and think this is the beginning of what appears to be a standout career.”

Evans was named the Most Valuable Player of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on February 12 during the 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend, recording 26 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals in leading the Rookies to a 140-128 win. He was twice named NBA Rookie of the Month (October/November and December) this season. Evans scored 20 or more points in 41 games (tops among rookies and the most 20-point games by a rookie in the Sacramento era). He had a seven-game streak (November 7-23) of scoring 20 or more points, tying him with Lionel Simmons for the most consecutive 20-point games by a rookie in the Sacramento era. On March 10 vs. Toronto, Evans became the first Sacramento-era rookie to record a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.