Two-time DPOY earns fourth-straight All-Defense Team honors –
SALT LAKE CITY (September 8, 2020) – The NBA announced today that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was named to the 2019-20 All-NBA Defensive First Team. It is the fourth time that he has garnered All-NBA Defensive First Team accolades after being voted to the squad in every season since 2016-17.
Gobert (7-1, 245, France) was named an All-Star for the first time during the 2019-20 season, owning averages of 15.1 points on 69.3 percent (career-high, second in NBA), 13.5 rebounds (career-high, tied third in NBA), 2.0 blocks (sixth in NBA) and 1.5 assists in 34.5 minutes per contest. His 13.5 rebounds per game was the second-best rebounding average in Jazz franchise history and the most since Truck Robinson grabbed 15.7 per contest during the 1977-78 season.
During the 2019-20 campaign, the sixth-year pro ranked third in defensive win shares (4.2) and fifth in total win shares (10.7) in the NBA. He also contested 16.4 shots per contest, which was the second most shots contested per game last season. The 28-year-old totaled 49 double-doubles in 2019-20, the fourth most by any player on the year.
On the offensive end, Gobert led the NBA for the second-straight season in slam dunks, jamming home 221 on the year. In addition, he totaled 471 screen assists which was also a league high for the second-straight season.
The native of France has helped the Jazz to four-straight postseason appearances, appearing in seven playoff contests in 2020, averaging 16.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 38.6 minutes per game.
He becomes the only Jazz player ever to be named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team four times, surpassing Karl Malone and Mark Eaton who garnered First Team honors three times during their careers.
Along with Gobert, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, L.A. Lakers’ Anthony Davis, Boston’s Marcus Smart and Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons were also selected to the 2019-20 All-NBA Defensive First Team. Gobert was named a top-three finalist for the NBA’s 2019-20 Defensive Player after having won the award in back-to-back seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19.