Rudy Gobert made some history. Victor Wembanyama nearly did.
Gobert, the Minnesota center, was announced Tuesday as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for a record-tying fourth time — joining Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace.
It was the fifth time in the last 11 seasons that a French center won defensive player of the year — and it sure seems like Wembanyama will add to that country’s total before long. The San Antonio rookie center, announced Monday as the league’s Rookie of the Year, was second in the voting and fell one spot short of being the first player to win the DPOY trophy in Year 1 of his NBA career.
Viva la France, indeed. Joakim Noah became the first Frenchman to win DPOY when he was the overwhelming choice in 2014, and Gobert now has the trophies for 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024.
“It’s great teamwork,” Gobert, the best defender on a Timberwolves team that had the best defense in the NBA this season, said on TNT during the award’s announcement. “We love to get individual awards and all these things, and it’s great but you can’t do it alone.”
Instacart partners with Uber Eats to offer restaurant deliveries
Exhibition featuring Bronze Age civilizations held in Chengdu
China, Central Asia Ready for Milestone Summit to Build Closer Ties
People enjoy water activities to beat summer heat
Kylian Mbappé trudges off after another Champions League dream with PSG ends
Scenery of Mount Emei in SW China's Sichuan Province
Scenery of Arxan National Forest Park in north China's Inner Mongolia
Xi's Speech on Party Education Campaign to Be Published
Connecticut House passes plan to spend remaining COVID funds, forgoing changes to state budget
Sceneries of Hutuo River after ecological restoration in Shijiazhuang, N China
Worker killed, another injured, when truck crashes through guardrail along California freeway
How Will Xi's Visit to Xiong'an Reshape the Future of the Futuristic City?