Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats will receive the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2004-05 got milk? Rookie of the Year, the NBA announced today.

Okafor received a total of 514 points, including 77 first-place votes out of a possible 126, from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.  Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.  

Chicago?s Ben Gordon finished a close second with 443 points, while Orlando?s Dwight Howard finished third with 161 points.

Okafor, the second overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, led all rookies in scoring (15.1 ppg), rebounds (10.9 rpg) and minutes played (35.6 mpg), and ranked second in blocks (1.71 bpg).  Okafor ranked fourth in the league in rebounding and third in offensive rebounding (3.8 rpg) while leading the Bobcats in scoring, rebounding, blocks and minutes this season.

Okafor, a three-time recipient of the got milk? Rookie of the Month award (November, December and April), ranked fourth in the NBA and first among rookies with 47 double-doubles (points-rebounds) and was only one of eight players in the league to average a double-double.  He posted 19 consecutive double-doubles from November 21 to January 1, the longest streak by any NBA player this season. The last rookie to have more consecutive double-doubles than Okafor was 12-time NBA All-Star Elvin Hayes, who registered 60 straight during the 1968-69 season.

"Emeka is a role model on the court and also a role model with the nutritional choices that he makes every day,? said Kurt Graetzer, CEO, Milk Processors Education Program. ?That's why we are proud to name him the got milk? Rookie of the Year."

The Eddie Gottlieb Trophy is named in honor of Eddie Gottlieb, one of the NBA?s founders who coached the Philadelphia Warriors to the NBA championship in 1946-47.