He might not be MVP, but this time he's not walking away with nothing.
Beaten last year by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert recovers his due: already distinguished in 2018 and 2019, the French has just been elected best defender of the regular season in the NBA.
By far, since it was placed at the top of the list by 84 of the 100 voters who were to decide between five men.
The Utah pivot is ahead of Ben Simmons (Phildelphie) and Draymond Green (Golden State).
Leader of the French contingent on the American courts and of the French basketball team, Gobert signed in December 2020 a record extension for a Frenchman: $ 205 million over five years.
In the process, "Gobzilla" was selected for the second time in a row at the All-Star Game.
He especially played a huge role in the good season of Jazz, 1st in the Western Conference, with 13.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks on average.
Tuesday, he stood out again with a huge block against the buzzer to validate the victory of his franchise (112-109) against the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the Conference semifinals.
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