EUROPEANS IN THE NBA

Ricky Rubio had a fantastic rookie NBA season, despite the fact it was cut short due to his injury

One reason why the Minnesota Timberwolves stayed in the run for a spot in the NBA play-offs until late in the regular season was the presence of Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio.

The playmaker, who hails from the province of Barcelona, wowed crowds with his passing and ended up as the rookie with the highest average of assists (8.2) in the league.

Rubio had scored 15 points and dished out 10 assists in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on 9 March when he tore his knee ligaments.

That forced him to have surgery, and miss the last six weeks of the season.

After his absence, the Timberwolves fell out of contention for a spot in the Western Conference play-offs.

Rubio received 49 second-place and 23 third-place votes in the Rookie of the Year race and finished with 170 points.

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving totaled 592 votes.