LaMelo Ball’s progress from an NBL Next Stars poster boy to an bona fide star has been meteoric with the Charlotte Hornets guard named NBA Rookie of the Year.

Ball opted to bypass the traditional American college pathway to play a professional season with Illawarra in Australia in 2019 and his brilliant play for the Hawks in his brief spell was rewarded when he was selected No.3 in last year’s draft by Charlotte.

His versatility as a passer, scorer and rebounder was on show in the NBA and he took out rookie honours despite missing 21 games with a fractured wrist.

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Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards was second with Tyrese Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings third in the voting, which was determined by a global panel of 99 writers and broadcasters who cover the league.

Ball, 19, received 84 first-place votes and earned 465 total points.

Edwards received the other 15 first-place votes for 309 points with Haliburton receiving 114 points.

The 198cm Ball led all rookies with averages of 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game and was third with 15.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.

He silenced critics who questioned his long-range ability, connecting on 35.2 per cent of his 3-point attempts.

Ball made an immediate impact with the Hornets, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to have a triple-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in just his 10th career game on January 9 against the Atlanta Hawks.

He continued to shine after that taking rookie of the month honours three times before injuring his wrist on March 20.

The Hornets initially thought he would miss the remainder of the year, but Ball returned to finish the season and help the Hornets earn a spot in the play-in tournament.

“Rookie of the Year, and well deserved,” Hornets teammate Gordon Hayward tweeted. “Huge congrats (at)MELOD1P ! Can’t wait to get out on the court with you again. Just the beginning!”

Edwards, the No.1 overall pick, led rookies in scoring at 19.3 points per game including 23.8 points per game after the All-Star break.

Ball is third player in Charlotte history to win Rookie of the Year honors, joining Emeka Okafor (2005) and Larry Johnson (1992).