Who Won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2021?
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award is given to the player who is considered the best defensive player in the league. The award was first given out in the 1983-84 season, and has been given out annually ever since. This year, the award goes to Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks has been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for 2020-21, the league announced on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-11 forward/center is the first player in Bucks history to win the award, which was first given out in 1983. He joins Ben Wallace (2002-03, 2003-04) and Dennis Rodman (1989-90, 1990-91) as the only players to win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Antetokounmpo averaged 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game this season, leading the Bucks to the best record in the NBA at 56-17. He finished second in voting for both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year last season.
Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz has been named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for 2020-21, the league announced Tuesday.
The 7-foot-1 center is a two-time winner of the award, having also taken home the honor in 2018. He becomes just the fourth player in NBA history to win multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, joining Dwight Howard (three), Ben Wallace (four) and Dikembe Mutombo (four).
Gobert led the league in blocks per game (2.7) and total blocks (140) while ranking second in defensive rating (99.4) and third in rebounds per game (13.5). He helped the Jazz post the best defensive rating in the league (104.1), as they allowed just 106.4 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court.
Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers has been named the 2021 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Monday.
Simmons becomes the first player in franchise history to win the award and joins an elite group of just six players to have won both the Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards in their careers. He is also just the third player in NBA history to win both awards in back-to-back seasons, joining Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson.
The 24-year-old guard/forward was a pivotal part of a Sixers team that finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference this season at 49-23. He averaged 15.4 points, 8.0 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from 3-point range.
Simmons received 78 first-place votes and 522 total points from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters who regularly cover the NBA to finish ahead of second-place finisher Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz (17 first-place votes, 382 total points) and third-place finisher Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors (15 first-place votes, 251 total points).
Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers is the 2021 recipient of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, it was announced today by the NBA.
