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Jaren Jackson Jr is the winner of the 1st Hakeem Olajuwon NBA DPOY award
Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr emerged winner of the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy as the 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
The big man from Memphis was early on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, making him the second player to receive the honor while donning a Grizzlies uniform. Marc Gasol was the first to do it ten years prior, and he now joins him in that club.
Jackson, who placed fifth in the voting for defensive player of the year the previous season, led the league with 3.0 blocks per game this year.
Jackson with 56 first-place votes and 391 total voting points was crowned the winner of the award.
He finished ahead of Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks, who received 31 first-place votes and 309 points to finish in second place.
In just his second NBA season, Cleveland's Evan Mobley finished third with eight first-place votes and 101 points.
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Jaren Jackson Jr on motivation to win Hakeem Olajuwon Defensive Player of the Year
With at least 300 shots defended at the rim, Jackson's shooting percentage of 46.9% was the best in the league and clearly helped Memphis advance to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Jackson spoke to Hall of Fame NBA stars Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley on his mentality throughout the season to win the award.
He said, “Team defense really helps us. It goes a long way.
“They’ve instilled the confidence in me to be aggressive offensively — but really unleash me defensively to go out there and do whatever.”
Hakeem Olajuwon immortalized with NBA DPOY
In order to honor former professional basketball player Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon, a Nigerian-American, the NBA named the Defensive Player of the Year Trophy after him at the beginning of this season.
On the trophy, a player is depicted in a traditional defensive position with one hand raised and one lowered, legs bent, and ready to strike.
Olajuwon is the league's all-time leader in blocked shots and ranks seventh in steals. He is a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and a nine-time selection to the NBA All-Defensive Team.
In addition to being a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams, Olajuwon is a 12-time All-NBA Team selection, league MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP, and a two-time champion.
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Olajuwon is the all-time leader in blocked shots, the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and a nine-time selection to the NBA All-Defensive Team.
Olajuwon who was born in Lagos Nigeria celebrated the achievement with a message that said, “I am honored to have the opportunity to celebrate the league’s best defensive player each year.
“Great basketball teams are defined by their ability to defend, with every great team connected by an elite defensive anchor.”
Nigeria's contingent fall short for Hakeem Olajuwon DPOY
American professional basketball player of Nigerian descent for the Miami Heat Femi Adebayo finished fifth.
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Adebayo could only spearhead the Heat defense so far as they needed the play-in tournament to book a place in the playoffs.
Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo finished sixth
Antetokounmpo won the award in 2020 but his teammate Lopez was attributed to have played a more integral role to their top defense that spearheaded the Bucks to the best record in the league this season.
British professional basketball player of Nigerian descent for the Toronto Raptors Ogugua Anunobyfinished eighth despite leading the league in steals per game his side were knocked out of the play-in as they struggled for an identity on defense.
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Olajuwon is also the greatest player in the history of the Houston Rockets, leading them to two championships as well as accumulating incredible individual accolades during his 15 years with the franchise.
He is also regarded as the best basketball product born in Nigeria although he represented the United States of America (USA) at the 1996 Olympics in Atalanta.
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