Gobert Wins Second Consecutive Defensive Player Of The Year Award
Jun 24, 2019, 8:50 PM | Updated: 8:50 pm
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert won the 2018-19 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award and was presented his trophy at the NBA Awards show.
The honor was Gobert’s second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award.
Gobert finished at the top of the voting for the award, beating out Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Oklahoma City’s Paul George, who were the other two finalists.
In his sixth season in the league, Gobert was a consistent dominating force in the paint for the Jazz, who were one of the NBA’s top defensive teams. He played in just 56 games last year to win the Defensive Player of the Year and played in 81 games this season, sitting out just one meaningless game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the very end of the regular season.
The 2018-19 #KiaDPOY is… @rudygobert27! #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/tgcfnx2ljP
— NBA (@NBA) June 25, 2019
Gobert’s 2.3 blocks per game tied last year’s mark and was good enough for third in the NBA. He also set a career high in defensive rebounds per game with 9.0.
Not only was Gobert a menance on the defensive end, he also made big strides on offense. He set a career high in scoring with 15.9 points per game, shot an incredible 66.9 percent from the floor and set an NBA record for dunks in a season with 306.
🗣IN THE BUILDING🔥#NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/XKcp3Gz0eY
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) June 25, 2019
For his efforts, Gobert was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Team and was an All-NBA Third Team selection.
Gobert joins former Jazzman Mark Eaton as two of only 10 players in NBA history to win multiple defensive player of the year honors. Eaton won the award in 1985 and 1989.
Led by Gobert and second year guard Donovan Mitchell, the Utah Jazz finished last season with a 50-32 record and a fifth place finish in the Western Conference. The Jazz were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Houston Rockets in five games.
