Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

DPOY Marcus Smart headlines NBA All-Defensive Team

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated May 20, 2022 10:07 PM ET

The NBA announced the 2021-22 All-Defensive Team, headlined by Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart.

Smart received 99 First-Team votes, finishing with the most points among vote-getters (198). It's the third time Smart has been voted All-Defensive First Team in his seven-year career.

Last month, the 28-year-old became the first guard since Hall of Famer Gary Payton in 1996 to win Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Phoenix Suns guard Mikal Bridges earned All-Defensive honors for the first time. The runner-up to Smart for DPOY, Bridges received 95 first-team votes for 193 points.

The 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team:

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee)
Mikal Bridges (Phoenix)
Rudy Gobert (Utah)
Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis)
Marcus Smart (Boston) pic.twitter.com/YQgyjt9qSP
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 21, 2022

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert earns first-team honors for the sixth consecutive season, receiving the third-most first-team votes (76) for 171 points.

Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo and Memphis Grizzlies Jaren Jackson Jr. earned First-Team nods at the forward position.

Antetokounmpo makes his fourth All-Defensive First Team, receiving 63 First-Team votes. Jackson was voted to his first All-Defensive Team, receiving 55 First-Team votes and 43 second-place votes to make a list.

The NBA All-Defensive Second Team includes Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo (57 First-Team votes), Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (24 First-Team votes), Philadelphia 76ers guard Matisse Thybulle (8 First-Team votes), Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (3 First-Team votes) and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (5 First-Team votes).

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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