Rudy Gobert, Paul George, Giannis Antetokounmpo headline NBA All-Defensive teams
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks defends Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors during the first half in game four of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Scotiabank Arena on May 21, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/AFP
NEW YORK — Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and MVP finalists Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George were the leading vote-getters for the All-Defensive first team.
Boston’s Marcus Smart and Milwaukee’s Eric Bledsoe rounded out the first team that was announced Wednesday.
Gobert finished with 97 first-team points and 196 points, giving the Utah center his third straight first-team selection. George had 96 first-team votes and 195 points, followed by Antetokounmpo (94, 193).
Smart and Bledsoe both earned their first All-Defensive team selections.
The second team included Golden State’s Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, who earned his first selection. They were joined by Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and New Orleans guard Jrue Holiday.
The teams were selected by a panel of 100 writers and broadcasters.
