21 players the NBA repeatedly snubbed for Defensive Player of the Year

Snubbed Defensive Player #5: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

While Abdul-Jabbar is primarily remembered as a scorer (hmmm, I wonder why), he was actually a terrific defensive player too. At 7’2″ with a 7’5 wingspan, his size and length combined with his timing made him a fearsome shot blocker. Having an elite rim protector is obviously a major plus in today’s game, but it played an even bigger role back in the 1970s and 1980s when teams relied far more on scoring in the paint.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many advanced stats from that era, but he was the all-time leader in blocks before Olajuwon and later Mutombo surpassed him. Even then, blocks weren’t counted during his first four years in the NBA. Had that been the case, Abdul-Jabbar could’ve rejected another 1,100 shots based on his averages from the first four seasons that blocks were counted.

That would’ve put him at more than 4,000 blocks, well ahead of the two players who combined to win Defensive Player of the Year six times. That begs the question: Why didn’t Abdul-Jabbar win the Defensive Player of the Year award himself? Some of it is due to timing. The award wasn’t first handed out until the 1982–83 season, which was past his defensive peak.

That’s a shame because he led the league in blocked shots four times prior to that, including blocking at least four shots per game twice, but at age 35, there were better options for the award by then. Overall, Abdul-Jabbar was certainly deserving of a DPOY but didn’t end up winning one because the NBA didn’t start handing out the award until late in his career.