NEW YORK – Windy City Bulls guard Antonio Blakeney today was named the 2017-18 NBA G League Rookie of the Year.  The award, voted on by the league’s 26 head coaches and general managers, recognizes the first-year professional who most significantly contributed to his team’s success during the season.

Blakeney (6-4, 197, LSU) averaged an NBA G League-high 32.0 points to go with 6.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.25 steals in 32 games for Windy City, which went 17-15 with him in the lineup.  The 21-year-old guard, who signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls last July after playing with the team at NBA Summer League 2017, shot 45.9 percent from the field and 86.2 percent from the free throw line.

A former teammate of the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons at LSU, the undrafted Blakeney recorded seven games with at least 40 points for Windy City.  He scored a season-high 46 points on 16-of-24 shooting from the field in a 145-107 victory over the Maine Red Claws on Dec. 6.

Blakeney has appeared in 19 games with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 7.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists.  He has scored a season-high 16 points twice, most recently against the New York Knicks on March 19.

Chicago will present Blakeney with the NBA G League Rookie of the Year award on Wednesday, April 11 before its regular-season finale against the Detroit Pistons at the United Center.

South Bay Lakers forward Thomas Bryant and Texas Legends forward Johnathan Motley finished second and third, respectively, in Rookie of the Year voting.

All-Time NBA G League Rookie of the Year winners:
2017-18: Antonio Blakeney, Windy City Bulls
2016-17: Abdel Nader, Maine Red Claws
2015-16: Quinn Cook, Canton Charge
2014-15: Tim Frazier, Maine Red Claws
2013-14: Robert Covington, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2012-13: Tony Mitchell, Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2011-12: Edwin Ubiles, Dakota Wizards
2010-11: DeShawn Sims, Maine Red Claws
2009-10: Alonzo Gee, Austin Toros
2008-09: Othyus Jeffers, Iowa Energy
2007-08: Blake Ahearn, Dakota Wizards
2006-07: Louis Amundson, Colorado 14ers
2005-06: Will Bynum, Roanoke Dazzle
2004-05: James Thomas, Roanoke Dazzle
2003-04: Desmond Penigar, Asheville Altitude
2002-03: Devin Brown, Fayetteville Patriots
2001-02: Fred House, Charleston Lowgators

About the NBA G League
The NBA’s official minor league, the NBA G League prepares players, coaches, officials, trainers and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory.  Featuring 26 teams with direct affiliations with NBA franchises for the 2017-18 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.  An all-time-high 44 percent of all NBA players at the end of the 2016-17 season boasted NBA G League experience.  In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA Cares programs.  NBA G League games are available on ESPN’s family of networks, Twitch, Eleven Sports and NBA TV.