Reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named the 2019-2020 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Antetokounmpo joins an exclusive company as one of only five players to win both MVP and DPOY in their careers, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, David Robinson, and Kevin Garnett.
The voting wasn’t even close, with the Bucks star receiving 75 percent of first-place votes from the panel of 100 broadcasters and sportswriters that participated in the voting.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis finished second in the voting with 14 first-place votes and Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who won the award in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, came in third place this year with six first-place votes.
The 25-year-old “Greek freak” was the main reason behind the Milwaukee Bucks putting up league-best defensive numbers this year. He averaged one block, one steal, and 13.6 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game this season and the Bucks only allowed 96.5 points per 100 possessions while he was on the court.
Antetokounmpo held opponents to 36.3% shooting in the regular season when he was the closest defender.
If he also wins the MVP award again this year, Antetokounmpo will become only the third player in NBA history to win both MVP and DPOY in the same season, joining Olajuwon and Jordan, who achieved this feat in 1993-1994 and 1987-1988 respectively.
