Minnesota basketball fans have had the luxury of watching two of the best defenders in the world on a nightly basis over the past year-plus. Last season, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert won his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (DPOY), tying the league’s record for most DPOY wins. Now, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier has won the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award for the first time in her career, joining Sylvia Fowles as the only Lynx players to have received the honor.
The honors are, of course, historic in their own right, but Gobert and Collier made even more history by becoming the first NBA and WNBA duo from the same metro area to ever win the awards in the same year. Follow us on Facebook first players playing in the same metro area to win WNBA/NBA DPOY in the same year. 🔒 pic.
twitter.com/Nn6rqD88oO It’s a remarkable accomplishment by two phenomenal players, who both anchored their team’s defense as one of the best in their respective leagues during the regular season. Both also helped their team to the playoffs, with Gobert and the Wolves reaching the Western Conference Finals for just the second time in franchise history this past season and Collier still leading her Lynx team in the semifinals against the Connecticut Sun.
Collier and the Lynx are back in action Tuesday night at Target Center for Game 2 of their series after dropping the opener Sunday night. from the @NBA DPOY to the @WNBA DPOY. @rudygobert27 🤝 @PHEEs.
