In a not-so surprising announcement, Dwight Howard has been named today the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2009-10 season.
This is the second straight award for Howard after becoming the first player in NBA history to lead the league in blocked shots (2.78) and rebounds (13.2) in the same season twice – and for two seasons in a row. He also led the NBA in field goal percentage (.612), also the first time in NBA history that anyone has led in all three categories.
Already the youngest player ever with two NBA Defensive POY Awards, it’s scary for opponents to know that he is only 24 and has the chance to rack more similar awards in his career.
He might just be the one to break the record held by Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo for most awards won with four.
Howard who was named a starter the 2010 NBA All-Star game last February received 576 total points, including 110 first-place votes from a panel of 122 writers and broadcasters.
Atlanta’s Josh Smith was second with 136 points, and Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace finished third with 113 points. Lebron James (known for his chase-down blocks) was fourth getting 4 first-place votes.
Dwight Howard was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week four times this season helping the Orlando Magic complete the regular season with the league’s second best record with 59 wins and their third consecutive division title.
In the current 2010 NBA Playoffs, Howard showed why he is worthy of the award blocking 9 shots (one shy of the record) in the Magic’s Game 1 98-89 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats in their first round playoff series.
As the winner, Howard received a 2011 Kia Sorento crossover, which he promptly donated to the Nap Ford Community School in Parramore, Orlando, USA.
Please read my related posts:
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Tags: 2010 NBA playoffs, 2010 NBA season, dwight howard
April 27th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
[...] from blocking 20 shots punctuated by a 9-block Game 1 performance, the Defensive Player of the Year was a non-factor on offense as Howard’s minutes were spent more on the bench than on the [...]