Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been named the 2021–22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Monday.
Smart, 28, is the first guard to win DPOY since Hall of Famer Gary Payton earned the honor at the end of the 1995–96 season. The NBA legend dropped by Celtics practice to surprise the two-time first-team All-Defensive selection with the award.
“You’re a guy that I think reminds me of myself. Everybody asks me about it all the time and it’s you,” Payton told Smart. “You play that D the way you’re supposed to, you play it with a chip on your shoulder and some heart.