Paul named NBA's top rookie

En route to a golf outing, Ron Boone pulled off the road and reached into a briefcase to check his paperwork.

With a glance, he confirmed what many around the NBA universe had to be wondering Wednesday: Who in the world was the voter who prevented New Orleans/Oklahoma City point guard Chris Paul from a unanimous victory of the league's 2005-06 Rookie of the Year award?

"It was me," said Boone, a retired NBA and ABA star who for the past 15 years has been the Jazz's primary broadcast analyst.

Rather than picking Paul, whose win was highly anticipated and previously leaked, Boone's first-place vote went to Jazz point guard Deron Williams.

"I voted for (Williams)," Boone said, "and I stand by it."

He stands alone.

Boone's was the only dissenting voice among an unidentified electorate of 125 sportswriters and broadcasters from throughout North America.

Paul's reaction to the snub?

"That's even more motivation right there," Paul, who at the time evidently did not know Boone's identity as the holdout, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. "It's an honor to get 124 out of 125, but that one, that one, that's just motivation for next year."

Paul tallied 623 points to win the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, named in honor of the coach who guided the Philadelphia Warriors to the 1946-47 NBA championship.

According to the NBA, his percentage of first-place votes is the largest for the award since retired San Antonio Spurs star David Robinson's 100 percent in 1990.

The Wake Forest University product easily outdistanced runner-up Charlie Villanueva of Toronto, who according to results released Wednesday received 73 second-place votes and 29 third-place votes to finish with 248 points (Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points each second-place and one for each third-place).

Former University of Utah star and current Milwaukee Bucks power forward Andrew Bogut, the No. 1 overall selection in last June's NBA Draft, placed third with 98 points, followed by Charlotte's Raymond Felton (79) and New York's Channing Frye (41).

Curiously, Williams wound up sixth in media voting with 31 points — while NBA head coaches named him to the league's five-member All-Rookie Team.

Williams finished fourth in the coaches' voting that was revealed last week — trailing only consensus-pick Paul, Villanueva and Bogut.