Abdur-Rahim Heads All-Rookie Team

Vancouver’s Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the No. 3 pick in the 1996 NBA draft, was the No. 1 choice and the only unanimous selection of the league’s coaches for the all-rookie team Tuesday.

Abdur-Rahim, also third in the rookie-of-the-year balloting, behind Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson and Minnesota’s Stephon Marbury in voting by the media, received all 28 first-place votes and 56 points from the coaches, who were not allowed to select players on their teams. Points were awarded on a 2-1 basis.

Iverson and Marbury were next with 27 first-place votes and 55 points each. Completing the team were Marcus Camby of Toronto and Antoine Walker of Boston, each with 22 first-place votes and 49 points.

Iverson, Camby, Abdur-Rahim and Marbury were the top four selections in last year’s NBA draft. Walker was No. 6.

The only player drafted in the first five who did not make the first team was Milwaukee’s Ray Allen. He was voted to the second team, along with New Jersey’s Kerry Kittles, the Lakers’ Travis Knight and Kobe Bryant and Houston’s Matt Maloney.

Abdur-Rahim averaged 18.7 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who had the league’s worst record, 14-68. All first-team players were on losing teams.

Iverson averaged rookie-highs of 23.5 points and 2.07 steals, along with 7.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds for the 76ers.

He finished the final month of the season with a flourish, averaging 40 or more points in five consecutive games, the first rookie to accomplish such a feat. Included in his output was a career-high 50-point performance against Cleveland on April 12.

Marbury, chosen by Milwaukee and then traded to the Timberwolves for Allen on draft day, averaged 15.8 points and a rookie-high 7.8 assists in helping Minnesota reach the playoffs.

Camby, who played in only 63 games because of injuries, averaged 14.8 points and 6.3 rebounds for the Raptors. Walker averaged 17.5 points and a rookie-high 9 rebounds for the Celtics.