Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol wins 2012-13 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
NEW YORK – Memphis’ Marc Gasol, who anchored the league’s stingiest defense, is the recipient of the 2012-13 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, the NBA announced today. Gasol becomes the first player in Grizzlies history to earn the honor.
Gasol received 212 of a possible 1,089 points, including 30 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Miami’s LeBron James (149 points, 18 first-place votes) and Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka (122 points, 14 first-place votes) finished second and third, respectively. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.
Gasol, one of only six players to average at least 1.5 blocks (1.7 bpg) and 1.0 steals (1.0 spg), led a Grizzlies defense that allowed a league-low 88.7 ppg during the regular season. According to NBA.com/Stats, Gasol’s +5.4 score differential ranked second among NBA centers; additionally, Memphis enjoyed a +7.5 score differential when Gasol was on the court compared with -3.9 when he was on the bench.
As part of its support of the Defensive Player of the Year Award, Kia Motors America (KMA) will donate a new 2014 Kia Sorento LX CUV to Gasol’s charity of choice, Youth Villages, a private nonprofit dedicated to helping thousands of emotionally and behaviorally troubled children and their families live successfully. Kia Motors will present a Sorento to the charity of choice of each of five 2012-13 season-end award winners as part of “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” Following this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 26 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA’s prestigious season-end honors began in 2008.
The 2012-13 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” The series, currently in its sixth season, is part of a multiyear marketing partnership between KMA and the NBA, and includes five of the league’s most prestigious year-end honors: Most Valuable Player Award, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man Award, Most Improved Player Award, and Rookie of the Year. For the first time, the series also includes the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month during the regular season. Kia Motors is the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA and the Kia Optima is the league’s Official Vehicle. For more information on “The Kia NBA Performance Awards” visit NBA.com/Awards.
Following are the balloting results for the 2012-13 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.
2012-13 KIA NBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR RESULTS
PLAYER TEAM 1st Place (5 Pts) 2nd Place (3 Pts) 3rd Place (1 pt) Total Points
Marc Gasol Memphis 30 16 14 212
LeBron James Miami 18 15 14 149
Serge Ibaka Oklahoma City 14 15 7 122
Joakim Noah Chicago 13 10 12 107
Tony Allen Memphis 9 15 12 102
Tim Duncan San Antonio 11 11 6 94
Larry Sanders Milwaukee 4 18 16 90
Paul George Indiana 8 2 11 57
Andre Iguodala Denver 5 3 9 43
Roy Hibbert Indiana 3 5 6 36
Chris Paul L.A. Clippers 2 2 3 19
Avery Bradley Boston 2 1 2 15
Tyson Chandler New York 0 3 2 11
Dwight Howard L.A. Lakers 1 0 4 9
Luol Deng Chicago 1 0 1 6
Dwyane Wade Miami 0 1 1 4
Trevor Ariza Washingotn 0 1 0 3
Jimmy Butler Chicago 0 1 0 3
Kenneth Faried Denver 0 1 0 3
Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City 0 1 0 3
Mike Conley Memphis 0 0 1 1
ALL-TIME KIA NBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Season Winner, Team
1982-83 Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee
1983-84 Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee
1984-85 Mark Eaton, Utah
1985-86 Alvin Robertson, San Antonio
1986-87 Michael Cooper, L.A. Lakers
1987-88 Michael Jordan, Chicago
1988-89 Mark Eaton, Utah
1989-90 Dennis Rodman, Detroit
1990-91 Dennis Rodman, Detroit
1991-92 David Robinson, San Antonio
1992-93 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston
1993-94 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston
1994-95 Dikembe Mutombo, Denver
1995-96 Gary Payton, Seattle
1996-97 Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta
1997-98 Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta
1998-99 Alonzo Mourning, Miami
1999-00 Alonzo Mourning, Miami
2000-01 Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia
2001-02 Ben Wallace, Detroit
2002-03 Ben Wallace, Detroit
2003-04 Ron Artest, Indiana
2004-05 Ben Wallace, Detroit
2005-06 Ben Wallace, Detroit
2006-07 Marcus Camby, Denver
2007-08 Kevin Garnett, Boston
2008-09 Dwight Howard, Orlando
2009-10 Dwight Howard, Orlando
2010-11 Dwight Howard, Orlando
2011-12 Tyson Chandler, New York
2012-13 Marc Gasol, Memphis