Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert wins NBA Defensive Player of the Year for third time

By winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award this season, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert became only the fourth player in league history to win the award at least three times.

Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace won the honor four times, while Gobert and Dwight Howard have collected the award three times.

Gobert, who also earned the award in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, led the NBA this season in defensive rebounds per game (10.1), total defensive rebounds (720) and total blocked shots (190). Gobert also ranked second in blocked shots per game (2.70). In related news, the Jazz finished with the NBA's best record (52-20) and have a 1-0 series lead against the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals.

Gobert received 84 first-place votes and had 464 points from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons finished in second place (287 points; 15 first-place votes) and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green finished third (76 points).

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