NEW YORK - Milwaukee forward Yi Jianlian of China and US teen star Kevin Durant, the top contenders for National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year honours, were named on Wednesday as December's top NBA rookies.

Milwaukee forward Yi Jianlian of China, seen here in 2007, and US teen star Kevin Durant, the top contenders for National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year honours, were named on Wednesday as December's top NBA rookies. [Agencies]

Yi, a 7-footer (2.12m) taken sixth in last June's NBA draft by the Bucks, averaged 12.1 points and 6.6 rebounds last month. For the NBA season, Yi is averaging 11 points a game, second only to Seattle's Durant among newcomers.

Yi won the honour for the Eastern Conference, where the Bucks are 11-19 with the third-worst record. Milwaukee went 4-12 in December, ending 2007 with four losses in a row.

Durant, selected second in the NBA Draft to Portland's injured big man Greg Oden, won the Western Conference rookie award for the second month in a row. He is averaging 19.7 points a game.

Durant, 19, fired in 35 points on December 7, his best scoring night in the NBA, is a 104-98 victory over Milwaukee.