Memphis Grizzlies' Marc Gasol won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
This is the first time Gasol has won the award. He earned 30 first-place votes, beating out LeBron James' 18 first-place votes and Serge Ibaka's 14 first-place votes, to win the award.
"It's a great honor," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins told the media. "Marc's played well. There's a lot of other guys that are worthy, you know. They saw fit to give Marc the award, and he was deserving."
The Memphis Grizzlies ranked as NBA's best defensive team. They allowed opponents only 88.7 points per game, marking the first time since the 2005-06 season that a team held opponents to under 90 points.
The 28-year-old led the defensive efforts by averaging 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, making it difficult for teams to score in the paint. Their defense helped to earn the team the fifth playoff seed in the West after finishing the season 56-26.
Gasol was selected 48th overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. Los Angeles eventually traded their rights to Gasol in a deal with the Grizzlies that sent his older brother, Pau, to the Lakers - it marked the first time in NBA history that a player had ever been traded for his brother.
In his five years in the league, Gasol has averaged 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He earned his first NBA All-Star appearance in 2007.
Memphis is currently two games behind the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs. They will host the Clippers on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. EST on TNT.
