History was made in the NBA on Monday, when it was announced that San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama had been named the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year winner in league history. Golden State Warriors fans, of course, know a thing or two about unanimous award winners, as Steph Curry became the first unanimous MVP in NBA history in 2015-16.
They also know a thing or two about the Defensive Player of the Year award, as Draymond Green hoisted the trophy following the 2016-17 season,
and has four other top-three finishes.
Green’s days of winning that award are behind him, but he’s still collecting some recognition from voters. The announcement of Wemby as the winner was accompanied by the full voting results, and Green collected one point, the result of a third-place vote on one person’s ballot. That put him in a tie for 11th place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, alongside Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat.
The top 10 is, in order: Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Ausar Thompson, Rudy Gobert, Scottie Barnes, Derrick White, Cason Wallace, Amen Thompson, Dyson Daniels, and OG Anunoby. Voting for Defensive Player of the Year is handled by 100 media members who each get to add three names to a ballot.
For Green, this is his 10th time earning vote shares for the award, but he’s hoping that something bigger is around the bend. The future Hall of Famer has been open about his desire to make the All-Defense team this year. If that wish comes true, Green will become just the sixth player in NBA history to make 10 All-Defense teams, joining Tim Duncan (15), Kevin Garnett (12), Kobe Bryant (12), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11), and Scottie Pippen (10). He’s one of eight players stuck on nine All-Defense selections, but the other seven are all retired: Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Chris Paul, Bobby Jones, Dennis Johnson, Jason Kidd, and Hakeem Olajuwon.
With or without that, a share of Defensive Player of the Year voting — even if it’s just one third-place vote — is an impressive achievement, especially for someone in their 14th NBA season. And it’s just another accolade in a career full of them.
