San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama finished second for the 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, tying the highest placement for a first-year player.
Wembanyama received 19 out of a possible 99 first-place votes and 245 total points in the final tally, trailing the 433 total points earned by Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gobert became the third player in history to win the award four times.
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo came in third.
Wembanyama tied Manute Bol in the 1985-86 season for the best finish in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, according to HoopsHype. He is one of 10 rookies to receive votes for the honor.
Wembanyama was named the Rookie of the Year on Monday, becoming the sixth player to win the award unanimously and the first player to do so since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016. He is the third player from the Spurs to win, joining David Robinson (1990) and Tim Duncan (1998).
The 7-footer averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals in 71 games. He led the league in blocked shots and registered the most 30-point games (11) by a rookie since Trae Young in the 2018-19 season.
Wembanyama is the second rookie to lead the league in blocks (Bol). He ranked second in defensive box plus-minus (plus-3.3), fifth in defensive win shares (4.4) and eighth in rebounds. He also had the most games with at least five blocks (24).
Story originally appeared on Rookie Wire
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