SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Deja Vu? For the second straight season, a former Santa Clara Bronco has found himself on the NBA All-Rookie First Team. One year after Jalen Williams became the first Bronco to ever do so, Brandin Podziemski added his name to the record books by earning first team status of his own following an outstanding debut season with the Golden State Warriors. Santa Clara is the only school with representatives on both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 All-Rookie First Teams, and is the first school to produce back-to-back first teamers since Villanova in 2019-20 and 2020-21. 

Selected by the Warriors with the 19th overall pick of the 2023 draft, Podziemski played in 78 games with 28 starts. He shot 45.4 percent and averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Podziemski notched 38 double figure scoring efforts with a high of 25 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 14. He also logged seven double-doubles and led the NBA in drawn charges. 

Podziemski became the first non-lottery pick to ever record 600 points, 400 rebounds and 250 assists in his rookie season. He is the eighth Golden State Warrior Guard to earn first team All-Rookie honors. He ranked eighth among rookies in minutes per game (25.7), 10th in points (9.2), fifth in assists (3.7), sixth in rebounding (5.8) and third in 3-point percentage (38.5 percent). His 427 total rebounds also led the Warriors and were the most by a Golden State rookie since Joe Smith in 1995-96.

Earlier this month, Podziemski finished fifth in the voting for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, making it two-straight seasons that a Bronco has finished in the top five of the voting. Williams was runner-up in the voting a year ago. 

The NBA All-Rookie Team has been annually awarded since 1962-63 and was expanded to feature first and second teams in 1988-89. Podziemski was joined on the first team by Victor Wembanyama (Spurs), Chet Holmgren (Thunder), Brandon Miller (Hornets) and Jamie Jaquez, Jr. (Heat).