A number of NBA first-timers are set to vie for the Rookie of the Year award.

Going back to the 2024 NBA Draft, one surprise was two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey, who snuck into the top 10, going ninth to the Memphis Grizzlies. 

Prior to the draft, Edey was +2000 to be the No. 9 pick. 

But now, after making noise in the NBA Summer League and the preseason, Edey is favored to be the top rookie.

Let’s check out the Rookie of the Year odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Oct. 21.

2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year odds:

Zach Edey, Grizzlies: +350 (bet $10 to win $45 total)
Reed Sheppard, Rockets: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Zaccharie Risacher, Hawks: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Matas Buzelis, Bulls: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Stephon Castle, Spurs: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Dalton Knecht, Lakers: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Alexandre Sarr, Wizards: +130 (bet $10 to win $140 total)

Of course, we can’t have a conversation about rookies without discussing Bronny James. 

James struggled in the preseason, scoring a total of eight points in the first five preseason games. 

In those games, he only connected on four of 20 shot attempts, missed all seven of his 3-point attempts, and committed five turnovers.

However, in his final preseason game, James scored 17 points (7-for-17 from the field), and added four rebounds, three steals and a block.

Was that performance enough to boost his odds to win ROY? 

Unfortunately, no, as James sits at +25000, a huge long shot to bring home the hardware.

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ROMA hero Kostas Manolas scored FIVE goals in just 34 minutes on his debut with a Greek non-league club he surprisingly joined after leaving Serie A.

Manolas, 33, made a name for himself in Italy and Greece, which led to interest from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea throughout his career.

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The centre-back burst onto the scene with Olympiacos and the Greek national team, whom he helped reach the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time ever in 2014.

The defender joined Roma 10 years ago where he scored eight goals in 206 appearances.

The ex-AEK Athens star also helped the Italian giants reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2018 with a sensational goal in a famous 3-0 win over Barcelona at the Olimpico.

After brief stints with Napoli, Emirati outfit Sharjah and Salernitana last season, Manolas made the decision to relocate to his homeland of Naxos with his family.

That led to him joining local club Pannaxiakos, who compete in the fourth division, after a few training sessions with them during pre-season.

The ex-Greece international received a hero’s welcome and many within the club see him as the man that will lead them to the third division.

And Manolas honoured their faith in a stunning debut, despite playing out of a position as a CENTRE-FORWARD against Marpissaikos on Sunday.

According to Sport24, the ex-Napoli star started for the Cycladic outfit and scored a staggering five goals.

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The versatile defender led his new team-mates to a stunning 12-1 win over Marpissaikos.

That led to manager Giorgos Mostratos hauling him off after just 34 minutes in the first half.

Manolas’ move to Pannaxiakos has been described across Greek media as the “transfer of the year”.

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“If I could just fly in for camps and have holidays in between things might be different.

“It’s not just about ‘can you go for another campaign’, it’s everything in between that, that’s difficult.

“Another campaign is another two years of everything in between that and do I want to do that is the question.

“Right now, it’s like I’m leaning towards I don’t want to do that, but like I said, things can change in a heartbeat in football.

“We could go through all this, it could be major heartbreak and I could be stubborn, I know that about myself.

“We could go through this, and it could be everything I’ve always wanted and I could be like, ‘I’m not going to beat this’.

“And so we’ve got to take each day and each game and each emotion and give it the respect that it needs and go from there really.”

Fishlock started her career at Cardiff City, making her debut at the age of 16.

She made her Wales debut in 2006 and has since gone on to play for clubs in the Netherlands, Australia, Scotland, Germany, France and in the US at her current side Seattle Reign.

A mural of her was painted in July in the Llanrumney area of Cardiff where she grew up and Fishlock says her achievements so far in football have still not sunk in.

“Yeah, I would have laughed at you [if you had said I would have a mural].

“There’s no way, there’s no chance, we’re not going to have that much pedigree.

“People who have lived in Llanrumney for years, people who know our family, people who take their kids down there.

“You don’t realise really and I never thought that would be the reach of my career.

“It was never a thought process that this is what it could be or this is what the end might look like, it was just always about me doing something that I loved and then whilst doing something that I love, fighting for better environments and better treatment and more respect.

“It’s a little bit surreal really.”

The final episode of Iconic: The Rise of the Women in Red will be broadcast on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Sounds at 18:30 on Monday 21 October.

IF Thomas Tuchel tuned in to witness this heavyweight Premier League battle, there would have been one man who made him sit up and take notice.

And while there were six Englishmen in the starting line-up of his former club Chelsea, it was Liverpool’s match-winner Curtis Jones who demanded his attention.

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At 23, and into his fifth season as a regular Anfield first-teamer, it is surprising that Scouser Jones is yet to win a full England cap.

Many more performances like this and Jones will not be ignored by new Three Lions boss Tuchel.

Jones did not just net the winner early in the second half to send Liverpool back to the top of the table, but he won the penalty for Mo Salah’s opener, was originally awarded a second spot-kick, and produced an outstanding all-round display.

It was Liverpool’s seventh straight win in all competitions and their 10th in 11 outings under Arne Slot, as they re-asserted their one-point lead over champions Manchester City at the start of a run of demanding fixtures.

For Chelsea, it was the end of a seven-match unbeaten run but a performance with plenty of positives for Enzo Maresca, who is bringing sanity to the Stamford Bridge madhouse.

Neither Slot nor Maresca seem inclined to spit poison as Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez often did during the golden age of the rivalry between these clubs.

Both new managers had enjoyed fine starts but both had been helped by relatively gentle fixture lists.

Maresca welcomed back skipper Reece James after an injury lay-off of almost a year, while Romeo Lavia was brought in for a rare start alongside Moises Caicedo – both midfielders having snubbed Liverpool for the Blues last year.

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From the off it was testy and tempestuous with ref John Brooks the centre of attention.

First up, Tosin Adarabioyo pulled down Diogo Jota just inside the Chelsea half but with Levi Colwill covering the Chelsea defender escaped with a yellow card – narrowly avoiding the same fate as Arsenal’s William Saliba the previous day.

Next Jadon Sancho went down after a tangle with Trent Alexander-Arnold but Brooks turned down his penalty appeals. Chelsea were playing some neat stuff early on.

Noni Madueke, who was giving kittens to Andy Robertson, teed up for Cole Palmer, whose shot was blocked by Jones. But then the Liverpool penalty shouts began to rain down.

Salah went down under pressure from Colwill but the Egyptian was too obvious in looking for spot-kick.

Slot earned a yellow for dissent but he didn’t have to wait long for a successful spot-kick appeal against Colwill.

This time Colwill tripped Jones and Brooks pointed to the spot, Salah hammering home and sending Robert Sanchez the wrong way after plenty of Chelsea delaying tactics.

It was Salah’s seventh goal of the season and a kick in the wotsits for the club which allowed him to leave early in his career.

Jota, struggling after an early knock, was replaced by Darwin Nunez but soon Liverpool thought they had doubled their lead.

A poor kick from Sanchez put Chelsea under pressure and a slick move from Jones to Salah to Cody Gakpo, netting at the back stick, came to nothing courtesy of an offside flag.

Maresca was hopping mad when Nicolas Jackson angled a shot narrowly wide of the near post when he might have aimed across goal.

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In first-half injury-time, Nunez slipped a pass to Jones, who kippered Tosin with his turn and was brought down by an on-rushing Sanchez.

Brooks pointed to the spot again but was sent to his screen by VAR Michael Oliver who spotted that Sanchez touched the ball before the man.

The on-field ref concurred with his more senior colleague in Stockley Park – but Sanchez had got lucky – it was a subjective call and the ‘light touch’ VAR approach appears to be fading, as most refereeing edicts do.

Before the break, Madueke teased Robertson again and laid back for Palmer, who shot over.It was a warning shot for Liverpool but one they didn’t heed because Chelsea were soon level at the start of the second.

Caicedo’s through-ball was met by a perfectly-timed run from Jackson who drilled past Caoimhin Kelleher – although Oliver was needed again to overturn an incorrect offside call.

Slot’s men were straight back at it, though, and regained their lead within 76 seconds.

Salah’s low centre was met with a Jones surge to the back post, where he cheated the offside trap, controlled and poked past Sanchez.

Maresca, who had sent on Pedro Neto for Sancho at half-time, responded with a triple substitution – introducing Enzo Fernandez, Benoit Badiashile and Renato Veiga.

But Liverpool were sensible in managing their slim lead.

Jones departed ten minutes from time to a standing ovation – and Tuchel might even have got off his sofa to applaud him as well.

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Lauren James has withdrawn from the England squad for the October internationals with a calf injury.

The forward, 23, was named in Chelsea’s starting line-up for their Champions League win over Twente on Thursday, but was replaced by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd after the warm-up.

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor confirmed before their Women’s Super League (WSL) match with Tottenham that James is expected to miss the next five to six weeks.

The Lionesses face Germany at Wembley on Friday, 25 October, before taking on South Africa at Coventry City’s home on Tuesday, 29 October.

England manager Sarina Wiegman does not plan on calling up a replacement for James, with the squad meeting at St George’s Park on Monday.