Giannis Antetokounmpo has made history.
On Tuesday, the NBA announced that Antetokounmpo has been named this season's Defensive Player of the Year, making him one of only five players — the others being Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Kevin Garnett — in league history to win an MVP and Defensive Player of the Year award in their careers.
Should Antetokounmpo be named MVP this season, he will join Jordan and Olajuwon as the only players in NBA history to win both awards in the same season.
The 2019-20 #KiaDPOY is… @Giannis_An34! #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/lhzlxAc4yR
— NBA (@NBA) August 25, 2020
Antetokounmpo received 75 first-place votes for Defensive Player of the Year. Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers received the second-most first-place votes with 14, followed by Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz with six.
Ben Simmons (1) of the Philadelphia 76ers, Bam Adebayo (2) of the Miami Heat, Patrick Beverley (1) of the LA Clippers and Andre Drummond (1) of the Cleveland Cavaliers also received first-place votes.
Here are the full voting results based on a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters:
Antetokounmpo finished the regular season with averages of 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. He was the key to the Bucks being the most dominant defensive team in the league. According to NBA.com, Milwaukee gave up only 97.4 points per 100 possessions with Antetokounmpo on the court, giving him the best defensive rating in the league.
Sidney Moncrief is the only other player in franchise history to have won a Defensive Player of the Year award.