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

Snubbed Defensive Player #18: Andre Iguodala

38-year-old, small forward Andre Iguodala is in the final stage of a long NBA career. At this point, he is likely far more concerned with winning another championship than winning a Defensive Player of the Year award, but during his prime, he was certainly deserving of one.

Iguodala started his career in Philadelphia and was considered the heir apparent to Allen Iverson, but he wasn’t cut out to be a team’s primary scoring option. Instead, he became a jack-of-all-trades star who was particularly effective on the defensive end.

At 6’6, with long arms and impressive athleticism, Iguodala served as an archetype for the perfect defensive wing. At his best, he could check multiple positions and became known for his uncanny ability to strip defenders mid-drive.

That seemingly simple skill often resulted in turnovers and was the product of him shuffling his feet to keep pace with his opponent while using terrific timing to avoid reach-in fouls. He put that skill to the test when he was tasked with guarding all-time leading scorer LeBron James in the 2015 NBA Finals.

Iguodala managed to force James to become a volume scorer rather than his typical, super-efficient self. It slowed James down enough to help the Warriors win their first championship in more than forty years, and Iguodala was rewarded with the NBA Finals MVP, primarily for his defensive effort.

Actually, that could also be considered a make-up for him never winning DPOY. After all, he was often overlooked prior to joining the Warriors.