This fall we ran a 32-player contest to determine who our readers felt would be the best player to start an NBA franchise with.

We selected one player from each of the league?s 30 teams, and rounded out the field with two phenoms, O.J Mayo and Greg Oden.

The field was placed in an NCAA Tournament-style bracket and we opened the voting to our loyal, and basketball-savvy reader population.

We asked people to vote using their best judgment, but also to take in account every aspect of each player?s game. In other words, don?t overvalue Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant?s scoring, don?t forget about Ron Artest?s on-court mishaps, and don?t undervalue the consistency of guys like Dirk Nowitzki and Jermaine O?Neal.

When the dust settled and all the votes were cast, Toronto?s Chris Bosh was crowned RealGM?s 2006 Franchise Player of the Year.

In the final round, he disposed of the Lakers? Kobe Bryant easily on his way to the inaugural RealGM honor.

When I told Bosh about the honor he said, ?It was a weird feeling to find out that I was named the winner. You know, out of every player in the league for me to win, that shows me that people put me up high amongst other players in the league.?

Bosh, who is often an afterthought of the 2003 draft class, beat out classmates like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony with the support of Toronto?s fans.

Bosh may not garner the media attention that the Trio commands, and he may not play ball in the same country the others call home, but when you consider his body of work the results are surprising, but not shocking.

He doesn?t have the physical build of James, play with a post-player like Shaquille O?Neal as Wade does, and he may never have the media appeal of Carmelo, but he can more than hold his own on the court.

Entering his fourth season, Bosh has enjoyed a spike in his statistics during each of his first three years in the NBA. Last season, he averaged a career-high 22.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in seventy games for the Raptors.

He also enjoyed his first All-Star appearance in 2006, and won a bronze medal as a member of the United States basketball team at the 2006 World Championships this past summer.

At just twenty-two years of age, Bosh has plenty of time to expand his already loaded skill set. He?s long and mobile, and can score just as easily away from the basket as he can in the low post. The only thing he?s earned consistent criticism for his is his size. At 230 pounds, he still gives up weight to the NBA?s stronger forwards.

With Bryan Colangelo at the helm, there is more talent in Toronto than Bosh has ever seen. Bosh has only played nineteen games this season due a knee injury, but he is averaging 20.5 points and an impressive 12.2 rebounds per contest.

We want to thank all the readers who cast votes each and every day this fall! We look forward to crowning our 2007 NBA RealGM Franchise Player next fall!

Editor?s note: Peyton Manning was named RealGM?s 2006 NFL Franchise Player of the Year this summer.

RealGM has just begun the search for the best MLB player to build a franchise around. Be sure to check out the baseball page in order to vote.

If you have any questions or comments about our 2006 NBA Franchise Player of the Year contest please let me know: Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com