NBA NEWS - Gobert & Simmons Lead NBA All-Defensive First Team

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert - (NBA - photo)

Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons - (Keith Allison - photo)

Jazz’s Rudy Gobert and 76ers’ Ben Simmons lead NBA All-Defensive First Team - Gobert, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in the last four seasons, has been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the fifth season in a row. This marks the second straight First Team selection for Simmons - THIS DAY IN THE NBA

NEW YORK, NY USA.

Monday June 21, 2021

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons lead the NBA All-Defensive First Team, the NBA announced. Both players received NBA All-Defensive First Team votes on all 100 ballots to finish with 200 points each.

Joining Gobert and Simmons on the NBA All-Defensive First Team are Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (176 points; 80 First Team votes) and Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (157 points; 65 First Team votes) and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (135 points; 43 first Team votes).

Gobert, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in the last four seasons, has been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the fifth season in a row. This marks the second straight First Team selection for Simmons, the runner-up for NBA Defensive Player of the Year this season. Simmons helped the 76ers finish with the NBA’s second-best defensive rating in the regular season, one spot ahead of the Gobert-led Jazz.

Green has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the fourth time to go with two Second Team honors. Holiday is a First Team honoree for the second time. Antetokounmpo, the 2019-20 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, has earned his third consecutive NBA All-Defensive First Team selection.

The 2020-21 NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo (111 points) and guard Jimmy Butler (111), 76ers center Joel Embiid (87) and guard Matisse Thybulle (63), and LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (43).

Leonard has been named to the NBA All-Defensive Team (First Team and Second Team) for the seventh time. This is the fifth NBA All-Defensive Team selection for Butler, the third for Embiid and the second for Adebayo. Thybulle is making his All-Defensive Team debut in his second NBA season.

The NBA All-Defensive Team was selected by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Players were awarded two points for each vote to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and one point for each vote to the Second Team. Voters selected two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, choosing players at the position they play regularly. Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position at which they received the most votes.

The voting results for the 2020-21 NBA All-Defensive Team are below. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. Complete ballots for each voter will be posted at PR.NBA.com after the announcement of all end-of-season awards.

VOTES

THIS DAY IN THE NBA

June 21, 1988 James Worthy posted the first triple-double of his career with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Detroit 108-105 in Game 7 of the Finals to become the first NBA team to successfully defend its title since the Boston Celtics in 1968 and 1969. The Lakers also became the first team in NBA history to win three consecutive seven-game series (4-3 over Utah, Dallas and Detroit).

June 21, 1997 The WNBA, the new women’s professional basketball league, played its first regular season games. New York beat Los Angeles 67-57, Houston beat Cleveland 76-56 and Sacramento beat Utah 70-60.

June 21, 1999 The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 89-81 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, snapping San Antonio’s record 12-game playoff win streak in one playoff series. The Spurs rebounded with two more wins to capture their first NBA championship, posting a 15-2 record in the 1999 Playoffs.

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