On April 19, Beijing time, the NBA officially announced that Celtics guard Smart was elected the best defensive player in the regular season of the regular season, pushing Gobert and Bridges to win the annual award; Smart became the first defender to win DPOY after Gary Payton in 1996, breaking the monopoly of forward players for 26 years.
This year's DPOY specific voting results are released:
Smart received 37 first-place votes, 18 second-place votes and 18 third-place votes, for a total of 257 points to rank first in the league; Bridges received 22 first-place votes for a total of 202 points; Gobert finished second with 12 first-place votes, Adebayo 128 points, Jackson Jr. 99 points, Alphabet Brother 58 points, Lowe 8 points, Bucks Holliday 6 points, Horford 3 points, Warriors Green 2 points and Sebel 1 point.
A total of 11 players received votes, and the Celtics had three players on the list, including Smart to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
1. Smart won DPOY for the first time in his career
2. Smart became the first defender to win DPOY since Gary Payton in 1996, and the first defender in the NBA to win DPOY in nearly 26 years.
3. Smart became the second player in Celtics history to win DPOY after Garnett, and the second player in team history.
Gary Payton personally presented Smart with the DPOY Award, Smart received the award shirtless and delivered the acceptance speech, the Celtic players applauded and cheered for him, and the Celtics officially posted photos to celebrate, and replaced the avatar with Smart's avatar.
In the regular season this season, Smart averaged 12.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game, smart won DPOY instantly rushed to the hot search, Jazz coach congratulations smart: Smart undoubtedly showed excellent leadership and tenacity on the court, congratulations to Smart. I think Gobert could be named the best defensive player in the playoffs.