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

Snubbed Defensive Player #2: Bill Russell

Like Chamberlain, Russell’s entire career predates the Defensive Player of the Year award. Had it not been, Russell could have racked up at least half a dozen DPOY awards during his already incredible 13-season career. After all, Russell is widely considered to be one of the greatest defensive players in league history, despite having very few stats to back up his claim.

Unfortunately, both blocks and steals weren’t counted during his career, but by all accounts, he was a dominant shot blocker. His shot-blocking ability gave the Boston Celtics a huge advantage since there was very little spacing without a 3-point line. As a result, if teams wanted to score, they had to either knock down jumpers or challenge Russell. 11 championships tell us that he often won those challenges.

Still, it’s a shame that NBA fans can’t watch many highlights of his defensive prowess. Nor do they have the opportunity to compare defensive stats.

Fortunately, that may actually work in Russell’s favor since the legend of his abilities on the defensive end has taken on near-mythical status.