Kobe Bryant was 2nd all-time on making the all-defense 1st team, but he never won a DPOY!

Jeet Pukhrambam | 10/07/2022
Kobe Bryant was 2nd all-time on making the all-defense 1st team, but he never won a DPOY!

Kobe Bryant was amongst the best defensive players in the league, not guards, players. Yet, the Lakers legend never got his flowers. 

It can often be a very underwhelming thing to see your favorite player not get the praise they deserve. For some that just doesn’t happen.

We think that Kobe Bryant never got the applause he deserved for being an all-time great defender. In fact, we think Kobe got credit for being a good defender in general!

Yes, people around the league don’t give Kobe enough credit as a defender. The general opinion is centered around the fact that he was a scorer first, passer second, and defender third.

We would like to make an argument today. Kobe Bryant was one of the league’s best defensive players, ever. Not guards, players.

Also read: “I’d like to thank Kobe Bryant first, he was the NBA 2K legend cover athlete before me”: Shaquille O’Neal had a funny way to announce himself as the cover star 

Statistics reveal startling things, Kobe Bryant was 2nd all-time on making the all-defense 1st team!

So, exactly how many times did Kobe make the NBA all-defense team? A whopping 12 times, which is only second to Tim Duncan.

The Lakers legend made it to the team as many times as Kevin Garnett, a power forward who is known solely for his tenacious defense.


Yes, he also never won a DPOY, despite making the team several times. In fact, in the last twenty-odd years, Marcus Smart is the only one to make the team.


This clip is proof enough that Kobe was an all-time great defender.

2009 was a legendary season from Kobe, winning everything possible except the MVP and DPOY.

Will we ever see anyone else like the Mamba? We don’t know. But is he an all-time great defender. Absolutely.

Also read: Vanessa Bryant could’ve received $75 million from Kobe Bryant in 2011 after Lakers legend’s failure to sign a pre-nuptial agreement

 

 

Post Edited By: Jeet Pukhrambam
Kobe Bryant Lakers NBA

About the author

Jeet Pukhrambam

Jeet Pukhrambam is The SportsRush's Lead Editor for Basketball. After freelancing for five years as an independent writer, Jeet created thousands of blog posts and articles. He now covers intriguing news reports and throwback stories on all things NBA. His interest in NBA started with the ascendancy of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2016-17 season. Since then, Jeet has managed to coalesce his knowledge of the game and his writing to create pieces that are reflective of the current state of the league. Now, he ensures that The SportsRush produces the highest quality of writing. In his free time, he enjoys playing football, cooking, traveling, and dancing to techno. Jeet takes pride in his critical thinking, music playlists, and his love for spaghetti.

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