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Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday night, reported ESPN.
This is the third time that Gobert has gotten the honor, winning it also in 2018 and 2019. Giannis Antetokounmpo won it in 2020.
Gobert is only the fourth player to ever be named the league's top defender at least three times in his career. Gobert got 84 of 100 first-place votes, and he finished with 464 total points.
Gobert spoke about being a three-time winner. He said:
"It's unbelievable. When I started basketball as I kid, if somebody would have told me that I was going to be defensive player of the year, I would have never believed them, let alone three times. It's hard to put into words the things that you can achieve when you just enjoy what you do, first of all, and when you have a group of people that believes in you and you put the work in every single day. I try to write my own story, try to enjoy my own journey, but just being one of only four guys that have won the award that many times, it's just amazing."
Gobert wasn't the only Jazz player to receive an award. The NBA announced that Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson won the league's Sixth Man of the Year.