Current:Home > StocksTimberwolves' Rudy Gobert wins fourth defensive player of year award, tied for most ever-InfoLens
Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert wins fourth defensive player of year award, tied for most ever
View Date:2024-12-23 15:05:53
For the fourth time in his career, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert stands alone among the NBA's defensive elite. And, now, he joins an exclusive list.
Gobert edged out San Antonio Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama and Miami Heat center-forward Bam Adebayo Tuesday night to win the 2023-24 Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, awarded to the NBA's defensive player of the year. This marks the fourth time Gobert, 31, has won the award, putting him in a three-way tie for most all-time; he joins Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame big men Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo.
The award was announced Tuesday night during the TNT pregame broadcast ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers-Boston Celtics conference semifinal playoff game.
Gobert has continued to anchor the defense for Minnesota, which improved this season to 56-26 and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. With his 7-foot-1 frame, length and lateral quickness, Gobert is a dominant rim protector who routinely forces offensive players to adjust their shots inside the paint.
In 76 games this season, Gobert averaged 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, while adding 14 points per game. The Timberwolves led the NBA this season in defensive rating (108.4) and ranked second in opponent points in the paint, allowing just 46.1 per game.
All things T-Wolves: Latest Minnesota Timberwolves news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
After dispatching the Suns in a four-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs, the Timberwolves have stunned the defending-champion Nuggets by taking a 2-0 lead in their conference semifinal series. Gobert missed Monday night's game in Denver over the birth of his child but is expected to return Friday for Game 3.
Wembanyama, 20, was trying to become the first rookie in NBA history to win the league's defensive player of the year award, though his future prospects are bright. Despite playing just 29.7 minutes per game this season, he led the league in blocks, with 254. The next closest player, Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren, recorded 64 fewer.
In fact, when factoring steals and blocks, Wembanyama (342) was again unmatched. By comparison, the next closest player in steals and blocks combined was Los Angeles Lakers forward-center Anthony Davis (269), while Gobert ranked seventh with 214.
Adebayo, 26, is a versatile defender who can guard all five positions on the floor, though he was not as statistically proficient as Gobert and Wembanyama.
Gobert finished with 433 total points in the voting for the award, while Wembanyama (245), Adebayo (91), Davis (83), the New Orleans Pelicans' Herbert Jones and Boston Celtics' Jrue Holiday also received votes. Gobert received 72 of a possible 99 first-place votes. Wembanyama received 19 first-place votes.
veryGood! (95138)
Related
- Who will be in the top 12? Our College Football Playoff ranking projection
- A little electric stimulation in just the right spot may bolster a damaged brain
- Police: Suspect dead amid reports of multiple victims in shooting at University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Boy Scout abuse claims fund shouldn’t pay $21 million in lawyers’ fees, judge says
- Demure? Brain rot? Oxford announces shortlist for 2024 Word of the Year: Cast your vote
- Actors vote to approve deal that ended strike, bringing relief to union leaders and Hollywood
- In a Rush to Shop for a Last-Minute Gift Exchange? These White Elephant Gifts Ship Quickly
- Washington’s center of gravity on immigration has shifted to the right
- Tom Brady Admits He Screwed Up as a Dad to Kids With Bridget Moynahan and Gisele Bündchen
- Atmospheric river brings heavy rain, flooding to Pacific Northwest
Ranking
- As US Catholic bishops meet, Trump looms over their work on abortion and immigration
- Ex-New Mexico prison transport officer pleads guilty to sexually assaulting pretrial detainees
- Colorado Supreme Court will hear arguments on removing Trump from ballot under insurrection clause
- U.S. charges Russian soldiers with war crimes for allegedly torturing American in Ukraine
- After Baltimore mass shooting, neighborhood goes full year with no homicides
- U.S. charges Russian soldiers with war crimes for allegedly torturing American in Ukraine
- 'The Wicker Man' gets his AARP card today, as the folk horror classic turns 50
- Iran says it sent a capsule with animals into orbit as it prepares for human missions
Recommendation
-
NBPA reaches Kyle Singler’s family after cryptic Instagram video draws concern
-
Yankees still eye Juan Soto after acquiring Alex Verdugo in rare trade with Red Sox
-
Cougar struck and killed near Minneapolis likely the one seen in home security video, expert says
-
A new Dutch parliament has been sworn in after Wilders’ victory in the national election 2 weeks ago
-
Who's hosting 'SNL' tonight? Musical guest, start time, where to watch Nov. 9 episode
-
'Time' magazine names Taylor Swift its 2023 Person of the Year
-
Decades after Europe, turning blades send first commercial wind power onto US grid
-
These families trusted a funeral home. Their loved ones were left to rot, authorities say.