Considered to be the strongest superstar with offense and defense, Kobe has no best defensive player in his career

On June 26, Kobe Bryant, this name represents an unparalleled competitive spirit, ultimate personal ability and comprehensiveness of offense and defense in the basketball world. As one of the greatest players in NBA history, Kobe not only demonstrated his breathtaking scoring ability on the offensive end, but also was a textbook-level existence on the defensive end. However, it is puzzling that the superstar, who was selected as the best defensive team in his career, has never won the honor of Best Defensive Player (DPOY). This fact has sparked discussions among countless fans and experts: Why does Kobe always miss DPOY? Is this a flaw in the selection mechanism or the cruelty of the competition in the times?

### "Black Mamba" on the defensive end: a perfect interpretation from technology to will

Kobe's defensive philosophy is based on the ultimate pursuit of details. His single defense skills cover almost all elements of outside defense:

1. **Foot move**: Kobe has textbook-like sliding skills, able to accurately predict his opponent's breakthrough route. In the 2008 Finals against Ray Allen, he suppressed the sharpshooter's series three-point shooting percentage to 35.7% (40% in the regular season) with a quick lateral movement.

2. **Hand Interference**: He is good at "eye-sealing" interference when his opponent's shooting moments, which was particularly significant in the 2009 Western Conference Finals, whose shooting percentage in the series dropped by nearly 8 percentage points compared to the regular season.

3. **Defensive toughness**: Kobe's "ketchup" sticker is suffocating. In the first round of the 2004 playoffs, he suppressed the Rockets Francis' average score from 21.3 points to 12.4 points, with a shooting percentage of only 34%. What is even more commendable is his concentration on defense. Former Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw once recalled: "Bryant will study the video of his opponent until late at night before the game, and even tell the opponent's usual breakthrough direction of the opponent's substitute players." This almost paranoid preparation made his defensive efficiency value lower than the league's average for 12 consecutive seasons between 2000 and 2011.

###The paradox of data and honor: underestimated defensive influence

Kobe's defensive value is reflected in both traditional and advanced data:

- **Steams and blocks**: Average of 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks in his career, and averaging 2.2 steals and 0.8 blocks in his game during his peak period (2002-03 season), becoming Jordan's first defender to achieve "2+0.7" in a single season.

- **Defensive victory contribution value**: The career-cumulative defensive WS has reached 50.3, ranking 22nd in history, second only to Jordan, Payton and Stockton among the defenders.

- **Contrasting suppression**: According to STATS LLC statistics, the average shooting percentage of Kobe's players who defended in the 2008-09 season decreased by 4.3 percentage points, which is better than the DPOY Howard's counter-suppression effect of the same year (-3.8%).

However, these performances did not translate into DPOY vote advantage. Kobe's highest ranking in the DPOY selection was only third (2000-01 season), and it was even less than some inside players with significantly inferior defensive influence. The reason may be related to three factors of the times:

1. **Insider priority selection inertia**: In the 2000s, the DPOY award was monopolized by Ben Wallace, Howard and other basket-protecting centers, and only Bowen (2007) won the defender.

2. **The drag on team defense**: The Lakers' defensive efficiency at Kobe's peak period was mostly hovering in the middle of the league (only 14th in the 2006-07 season), while DPOY often comes from the top five teams in the defensive position.

3. **Offensive Halo**: Kobe's scoring performance (such as 81 points night) is too dazzling, causing the media to lose attention to his defense. ESPN once analyzed that the high exposure players received in the MVP selection at the same time will actually weaken their impression scores in the DPOY selection.

### Horizontal comparison with DPOY winners: stolen trophy?

Take the 2007-08 season as an example. DPOY winner Garnett's defensive WS is 6.1, while Kobe's is 5.2. However, in-depth analysis shows that:

- **Defensive coverage**: As the core of the Celtics' defensive system, Garnett undertakes more auxiliary defense tasks; while Kobe, as the outside gate, needs to directly lock the opponent's arrow figure. Players who have been restricted in Kobe's matchup this season include All-Star defenders such as Paul and Ginobili, and their PER values ​​have dropped by 2.5 on average.

- **Key round value**: When the Lakers' score difference in the last 5 minutes of the fourth quarter of the season was within 5 points, Kobe suppressed his opponent's shooting percentage to 38.6%, which was better than Garnett's 41.2%.

- **Playseason Verification**: In the finals of that year, Kobe Kobe's main lightning protection Allen and Pierce made only 51 of 134 shots (38% shooting percentage), while Garnett's shooting percentage against Gasol reached 52%.

Similar situations also occurred in the 2011-12 season. When DPOY Chandler's defensive RAPTOR value was +3.1, the 34-year-old Kobe was still able to hand over a +2.9 data, and also had to bear the team's offensive usage rate of 27.9%. This high-load output at both ends of offense and defense is obviously not fully considered in the DPOY selection.

###Re-examination of historical status: Defensive legacy beyond awards

Despite the lack of DPOY title, Kobe's defensive achievements are still widely recognized by the industry:

- **Historical Peripheral Defender**: He is the only four players since the NBA merger to achieve "9 defense + 25,000 points" at the same time (the other three are Jordan, Jabbar, and James).

- **International Arena Verification**: In the 2008 Olympics, Kobe, as the core of the American team's outside defense, suppressed his opponent's average score at 78.8 points (the previous three Dream Team lost more than 90 points).

- **The collective tribute of the juniors**: Contemporary top defenders such as Leonard and Holiday have publicly stated that they have learned from Kobe's defensive skills. Warriors Green said even more bluntly: "Watching Kobe's video of running without the ball is more effective than any defensive tutorial."