ZACH EDEY AND JAYLEN WELLS NAMED TO NBA ALL-ROOKIE FIRST TEAM
Memphis, Tenn. – The NBA today announced that Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey and wing Jaylen Wells were named to the 2024-25 NBA All-Rookie First Team.
This marks the first time that rookie teammates have earned First Team honors in the same season since Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke accomplished the feat for the 2019-20 Grizzlies. It is the third time in franchise history that Grizzlies have been represented by multiple players on the All-Rookie First Team (Pau Gasol and Shane Battier in 2001-02).
Edey (7-3 ¾, 299), selected by Memphis with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft following his senior year at Purdue, led rookies in field goal percentage (58.0), rebounds (8.3) and offensive rebounds (3.5) and ranked fourth in blocks (1.3), ninth in points (9.2) and second in overall plus-minus (+164) in 21.5 minutes over 66 games (55 starts). The 23-year-old posted 12 point-rebound double-doubles, the most by a Grizzlies rookie since Marc Gasol in 2008-09.
The Toronto native, who finished fifth in the league’s Rookie of the Year voting, led the NBA in the month of April by grabbing 15.7 rebounds per game in six games. His career-high 21 rebounds on April 5 at Detroit broke a 29-year-old franchise rookie record and stood as the most rebounds by a rookie in a game this season.
Wells (6-6 ½, 206), selected by the Grizzlies with the 39th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft following his junior year at Washington State, ranked fourth among rookies with 10.4 points and led first-year players in starts (74), 3-pointers made (138), free throw percentage (82.2) and overall plus-minus (+186) while playing 25.9 minutes in 79 games. No rookie participated in more wins this season than Wells (47).
The Sacramento native, who placed third in the Rookie of the Year balloting, was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November 2024. On the defensive end, the 21-year-old was graded as having the sixth-toughest matchup difficulty in the NBA but held his opponents to a 49.6 effective field goal percentage.
Edey and Wells were chosen by NBA assistant coaches to participate in the NBA Rising Stars as part of NBA All-Star Weekend 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco and helped guide coach Candace Parker’s team to the 2025 NBA All-Star championship tournament on Sunday, Feb. 16.
The other three members of the 2024-25 NBA All-Rookie First Team are San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher and Washington Wizards forward/center Alex Sarr.
The 2024-25 NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington, Portland Trail Blazers Donovan Clingan, New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi and Miami Heat center Kel’el Ware.
More from the NBA.... on the 2025 All-Rookie list
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle, the 2024-25 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, has been unanimously selected to the 2024-25 Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team. He received First Team votes on all 100 ballots from a global media panel.
Joining Castle on the Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team are Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey and forward Jaylen Wells, Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher and Washington Wizards forward-center Alex Sarr.
With the selection of Edey and Wells, the Grizzlies are the first team to have multiple players on the Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team in the same season since Memphis in 2019-20 (Brandon Clarke and Ja Morant). France’s Risacher and Sarr, the first and second overall picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, respectively, become the first two players from the same country outside of the United States to be named to the Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team in the same season.
The Kia NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, Wizards guard Bub Carrington, Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi and Miami Heat center Kel’el Ware.
Sarr (First Team) and Carrington (Second Team) give the Wizards’ franchise multiple players on the Kia NBA All-Rookie Team in the same season for the first time since 1963-64 (Gus Johnson and Rod Thorn).
The media voting panel selected five players for the Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team and five players for the Kia NBA All-Rookie Second Team at any position. Players received two points for each First Team vote and one point for each Second Team vote.
The 2024-25 Kia NBA All-Rookie Team is below. The complete voting results are attached. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP.