SAN ANTONIO – Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard was named the NBA’s best defender on Friday by his peers across the league.
Leonard received the award from the National Basketball Players Association during the unveiling of the 2017 Players Voice Awards.
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The awards are voted on solely by NBA players and feature many unique categories.
Silence the offense 🔇. Best Defender goes to @KawhiLeonard. #PlayersVoice pic.twitter.com/RC0wQHxAhX
— NBPA (@TheNBPA) August 18, 2017
Leonard is a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He finished third this year in the category that was voted on by the media.
Leonard was named to the league's All-Defensive First Team for the third consecutive season as well.
The NBPA also voted Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich as the “Coach You’d Most Like to Play For.”
The players’ coach. Coach You’d Most Like to Play For goes to @spurs Gregg Popovich. #PlayersVoice pic.twitter.com/suxEtD4t8f
— NBPA (@TheNBPA) August 18, 2017
The awards also recognize icons of the game, the player who has the most Global Impact and the Most Influential Veteran.
Voting took place at the end of the regular season, and playoff performances were not taken into consideration.
The NBPA Players Voice Awards were introduced in 2015.
