The Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo disagrees with the results of the past two Defensive Player of the Year awards.
The 25-year-old Adebayo was named an All-Defensive Second Team member for three consecutive seasons but is not satisfied with that as his goal is the DPOY award.
Adebayo believes that he should have won the award both times, in 2021, as well as 2022.
Despite not winning it the past two years, Adebayo is sure he can do it the next season.
"I should have won it the last two years and I will win it this year," Adebayo said per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
In 2021 Adebayo was not even second, but fourth in voting for the award, losing against Rudy Gobert who won it for the third time.
Last season the winner of the award was the Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who averaged 1.7 steals per game, the 11th highest, and was a key to the dominant Celtics defense.
After not being named as a finalist for the award against Smart, Gobert, and Phoenix Suns wing Mikal Bridges, Adebayo said that being left out of the nomination was disrespectful.
"Disrespectful, honestly. I feel like I can do anything that two out of the three can do besides the fact that I can't teach height," Adebayo said, via Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
"But they all three play on TV more than me, so I would expect that," Adebayo continued.
"They get more TV games and they get more exposure. People like to talk about them more. Nobody wants to talk about us. So it’s whatever at that point," added the Heat center.
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