NBA Defensive Player of The Year: 5 Players who missed out

#4 Kobe Bryant

Los Angeles Lakers v Cleveland Cavaliers

Kobe was a rare breed of NBA super-scorer because he was also willing to play so hard on the defensive end. Michael Jordan was the same, but most scorers tend to use most of their energy on the offensive end. Kobe was intense on the perimeter as he was able to play close to his man without allowing them to blow past him off the dribble. He also talked trash, often in Italian, while playing defence.

Kobe was a 12x all-defensive selection during his illustrious 20-year career (10x first team all-defense), but he was never voted as the number one defender in the league; he maxed out at fifth with 40 votes in 2008. Regularly beaten in the voting by big men in an era when shot blockers ruled, Kobe often ranked as a top-two defensive guard according to the voters.