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Former Kentucky star Rhyne Howard crowned 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year

Former Kentucky women's basketball star Rhyne Howard has been crowned the WNBA's Rookie of the Year after a record-breaking first season with the Atlanta Dream.

Howard, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, received 53 of 56 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, the WNBA said Thursday in a news release. The Cleveland, Tennessee, native joins Louisville great Angel McCoughtry as the second Atlanta Dream player to be named the league's top newcomer.

A gifted artist, a future pro:The 'unique talent' of Kentucky basketball's Rhyne Howard

Across 34 starts, Howard averaged 16.