The complete ballots for the NBA’s end-of-season awards were released on Thursday, sparking controversy and criticism of certain votes.
One of the most discussed choices came from MARCA’s Ignacio Garcia, who voted for Sacramento Kings’ Domantas Sabonis in third place for Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY). His ballot did not include the eventual winner, Rudy Gobert.
Richard Jefferson and Rod Boone handed their second-place DPOY votes to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
A global panel of 99 sportswriters and broadcasters voted for the 2023-24 NBA regular-season awards.
Voter selections for each annual award are now available.
Complete ballots ➡️ https://t.co/v680glzCE0 pic.twitter.com/Qo7KSK6A7P
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 23, 2024
Transitioning to Rookie of the Year, San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama was the unanimous winner, but WarnerMedia’s Stan Van Gundy was the lone voter to not put Chet Holmgren at No. 2. Instead, he opted for Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller.
Sixth Man of the Year winner Naz Reid was left off of multiple ballots, including by Tim Reynolds and Joe Vardon.
Another surprise from Van Gundy came on the NBA All-Defensive teams, where he left out Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo and placed Josh Hart in his second team. Adebayo finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Gobert and Wembanyama. Dennis Scott also passed on Adebayo, putting guards Gilgeous-Alexander and De’Aaron Fox on the first team.
A stunner occurred on the All-Rookie teams, with ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins voting for Gradey Dick (Toronto Raptors) and Jordan Hawkins (New Orleans Pelicans), while leaving off Miller entirely.