Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday, according to NBA.com. Gasol anchored the top ranked defense in the league as the Grizzlies led in points allowed with an 87.7 average.
The NBA announced that Gasol received 212 points and 30 first-place votes to edge out Miami's LeBron James, who had 149 points and 18 first-place votes. The 7-foot-1 center averaged 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steals, while also proving to be an offensive threat with 14.1 points per game and 4.0 assists.
Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka finished third with 122 points and 14 first-place votes. The 28-year-old Gasol becomes the first player in Grizzlies franchise history to earn defensive player of the year honors. The Spaniard is also the first foreign player to win the award since Dikembe Mutombo of the Democratic Repulic of Congo won the award during the 2000-01 season while a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Gasol and the Memphis Grizzlies will look to bounce back from their 0-2 deficit in their series against the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday at FedEx Forum in Memphis. The game will air on TNT at 9:30 P.M. ET.
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