Onyenwere received 47 votes from a national panel of 49 sportswriters and broadcasters. Atlanta Dream guard Aari McDonald and Liberty guard/forward DiDi Richards received one vote each.
Onyenwere averaged 8.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 22.5 minutes in 32 games (29 starts) this season. She led all WNBA rookies in points per game, field goals made (91) and three-pointers made (37). The 6-foot Onyenwere also ranked second among rookies in total rebounds (94).
A regular starter in her first WNBA season, Onyenwere recorded 12 games with 10 or more points and five games with five or more rebounds. In her WNBA debut, she finished with 18 points and five rebounds against the Indiana Fever on May 14. Onyenwere scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed five rebounds against the Dream on May 29. In her first career double-double, she posted 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against the Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 31.
Onyenwere won all four Kia WNBA Rookie of the Month awards this season. She helped New York qualify for the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season.
New York selected Onyenwere with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft. Onyenwere played four college seasons at UCLA, where she became the Bruins’ first two-time AP All-America Team selection and finished her career as the fourth-leading scorer in program history (1,888 points).
In honor of being named the 2021 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year, Onyenwere will receive $5,150 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.
Below are the voting results for the 2021 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and a list of past recipients.
2021 WNBA KIA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR VOTING RESULTS
| Player | Team | Votes |
| Michaela Onyenwere | New York Liberty | 47 |
| Aari McDonald | Atlanta Dream | 1 |
| DiDi Richards | New York Liberty | 1 |
WNBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR WINNERS
| 2021 | Michaela Onyenwere | New York Liberty |
| 2020 | Crystal Dangerfield | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2019 | Napheesa Collier | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2018 | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces |
| 2017 | Allisha Gray | Dallas Wings |
| 2016 | Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm |
| 2015 | Jewell Loyd | Seattle Storm |
| 2014 | Chiney Ogwumike | Connecticut Sun |
| 2013 | Elena Delle Donne | Chicago Sky |
| 2012 | Nneka Ogwumike | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2011 | Maya Moore | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2010 | Tina Charles | Connecticut Sun |
| 2009 | Angel McCoughtry | Atlanta Dream |
| 2008 | Candace Parker | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2007 | Armintie Price | Chicago Sky |
| 2006 | Seimone Augustus | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2005 | Temeka Johnson | Washington Mystics |
| 2004 | Diana Taurasi | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2003 | Cheryl Ford | Detroit Shock |
| 2002 | Tamika Catchings | Indiana Fever |
| 2001 | Jackie Stiles | Portland Fire |
| 2000 | Betty Lennox | Minnesota Lynx |
| 1999 | Chamique Holdsclaw | Washington Mystics |
| 1998 | Tracy Reid | Charlotte Sting |
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