Miami Heat Star Bam Adebayo Claims He Should’ve Won the Last Two DPOY Awards

• Bam Adebayo has sensationally claimed that he should've won the last two Defensive Player of the Year awards (DPOY)
• Marcus Smart and Rudy Gobert won the last two DPOY awards
• The Miami Heat big man finished fourth in DPOY voting in the last two seasons

Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo claims he should've won the last two Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) awards. Rudy Gobert and Marcus Smart were the last players to win the awards.

The Heat big man claims he can guard all five positions, unlike the two former winners of the awards.

Adebayo finished fourth place in DPOY voting last year when Smart won it and in 2021 when Gobert won the award for a third time.

The 25-year-old is one of the favorites to win the award this season. He is competing with Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr and Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez, per NBC Sports.

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Adebayo defends DPOY claim

In a recent interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, Adebayo made his DPOY case.

“I guard 1-5. It’s not a lot of us. Me, Draymond [Green], Giannis [Antetoukoumpo]. Who else? It has to translate, and I feel like Rudy in the playoffs didn’t translate,” Adebayo explained. “And Marcus Smart guards 1 through 4,” via Complex.

He is averaging 21.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game.

Smart fires back at Adebayo

After seeing the comments by Adebayo, Boston Celtics star Marcus Smart responded, telling Adebayo that his remarks were a lie.

“The things I was doing at that time at my size was different. Last time I recalled, Bam, I blocked your dunk as well. So that should tell you everything you need to know right there.”

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Smart has played a crucial role for the Celtics this season. They have a 45-18 record, the second-best in the NBA.

Adebayo praises Antetokounmpo

Sports Brief earlier reported on Adebayo comparing Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant.

He said his ability is "2k-ish," and he does unreal things on the court, just like the aforementioned legends.

The Bucks forward has been considered one of the best NBA players in the last few years. He won the MVP award in 2019 and 2020, then led his team to championship glory in 2021.