Know who are the all time winners by year of the DPOY award in the NBA
On April 18, 2022, Boston Celtics player Marcus Smart was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the first guard to do so since Gary Payton in 1996. We take a look at the award’s history, all-time winners and Marcus’s season statistics.
Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2021-’22 season, which will surely usurp the fact that he was the one who caused Stephen Curry’s injury last March.
NBA DPOY All Time Winners List By Year, Voting And 2021-2022 Winner Marcus Smart Stats
History of NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and How it is Decided?
Since the 1982–83 NBA season, the Defensive Player of the Year Award has been given to the top defensive player in the regular season by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The winner is chosen by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters from around the United States and Canada, who individually vote for the first, second, and third place winners.
A first-place vote is worth five points, a second-place vote three points, and a third-place vote one point. The prize is given to the player with the greatest point total, regardless of the amount of first-place votes.
Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace have each received the award four times, setting a new record. Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics was the most recent recipient of the award.
All-time Winner List of NBA Defensive Player of the Year
| Season | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
| 1982–83 | Sidney Moncrief | Shooting guard | United States | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1983–84 | Sidney Moncrief | Shooting guard | United States | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1984–85 | Mark Eaton | Center | United States | Utah Jazz |
| 1985–86 | Alvin Robertson | Shooting guard | United States | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1986–87 | Michael Cooper | Shooting guard | United States | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1987–88 | Michael Jordan | Shooting guard | United States | Chicago Bulls |
| 1988–89 | Mark Eaton | Center | United States | Utah Jazz |
| 1989–90 | Dennis Rodman | Small forward | United States | Detroit Pistons |
| 1990–91 | Dennis Rodman | Small forward | United States | Detroit Pistons |
| 1991–92 | David Robinson | Center | United States | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1992–93 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Center | Nigeria[c] | Houston Rockets |
| 1993–94 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Center | Nigeria[c] | Houston Rockets |
| 1994–95 | Dikembe Mutombo | Center | Zaire[d] | Denver Nuggets |
| 1995–96 | Gary Payton | Point guard | United States | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1996–97 | Dikembe Mutombo | Center | Zaire[d] | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1997–98 | Dikembe Mutombo | Center | Democratic Republic of the Congo[d] | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1998–99 | Alonzo Mourning | Center | United States | Miami Heat |
| 1999–00 | Alonzo Mourning | Center | United States | Miami Heat |
| 2000–01 | Dikembe Mutombo | Center | Democratic Republic of the Congo[d] | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2001–02 | Ben Wallace | Center | United States | Detroit Pistons |
| 2002–03 | Ben Wallace | Center | United States | Detroit Pistons |
| 2003–04 | Ron Artest | Small forward | United States | Indiana Pacers |
| 2004–05 | Ben Wallace | Center | United States | Detroit Pistons |
| 2005–06 | Ben Wallace | Center | United States | Detroit Pistons |
| 2006–07 | Marcus Camby | Center | United States | Denver Nuggets |
| 2007–08 | Kevin Garnett | Power forward | United States | Boston Celtics |
| 2008–09 | Dwight Howard | Center | United States | Orlando Magic |
| 2009–10 | Dwight Howard | Center | United States | Orlando Magic |
| 2010–11 | Dwight Howard | Center | United States | Orlando Magic |
| 2011–12 | Tyson Chandler | Center | United States | New York Knicks |
| 2012–13 | Marc Gasol | Center | Spain | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2013–14 | Joakim Noah | Center | France[f] | Chicago Bulls |
| 2014–15 | Kawhi Leonard | Small forward | United States | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2015–16 | Kawhi Leonard | Small forward | United States | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2016–17 | Draymond Green | Power forward | United States | Golden State Warriors |
| 2017–18 | Rudy Gobert | Center | France | Utah Jazz |
| 2018–19 | Rudy Gobert | Center | France | Utah Jazz |
| 2019–20 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Power forward | Greece | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2020–21 | Rudy Gobert | Center | France | Utah Jazz |
| 2021–22 | Marcus Smart | Point guard | United States | Boston Celtics |
NBA Defensive Player of the Year 2021-22 Award Results
Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2021-’22 season and is the only point guard to win the award in over 25 years, since Gary Payton of the defunct Seattle Sonics won it in 1995-96.
Smart finished first in the trade press selection among a panel of 100 sportswriters with 257 points (including 37 first-place votes), ahead of Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges (202 points, 22 first-place votes) and Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert (136 points, 12 first-place votes).
Season Statistics and Importance in Team
With an average of 1.68 steals per game, Smart completed the season fifth in the league in steals. He was also a vital member of a Celtics defence that is often regarded as the finest in the league. The team finished with the top defensive rating (106.2) and the lowest average points allowed per game in the league (104.5).
For the Celtics, Marcus Smart is a key player as he appeared in all 71 games and had a total of 119 steals. Other metrics that demonstrate his defensive work for the Celtics, such as loose balls recovered with 75 and passes deflected with 206, showed him to be a standout.
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2021–22 | Boston Celtics | 71 | 71 | 32.3 | 0.418 | 0.331 | 0.793 | 3.8 | 5.9 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 12.1 |
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