NBA: Kawhi Leonard named Defensive Player of the Year

San Antonio Spurs small forward Kahwi Leonard was named the 2015 NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Friday. The citation comes less than a year after the 23-year-old California native got the 2014 Finals MVP trophy, guiding his team to its fifth championship against then defending champions Miami Heat.

Leonard is only the second Spur to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. The first awardee was David Robinson who won it in the 1991-1992 season.

It is also the first time since Ron Artest won the award in 2003-2004 that a small forward received the trophy. For the past 10 seasons, centers have been consistently receiving the honor. Ben Wallace won twice from 2004-2005 to 2005-2006, before Marcus Camby and Kevin Garnett were named in the next two seasons. Dwight Howard won thrice in a row for the Orlando Magic, before Tyson Chandler won it in 2011-2012. The last two winners were Marc Gasol and Joakim Noah.

Leonard garnered 333 points to win the award, while Golden State's Draymond Green came in second with 317 points. The Clippers' DeAndre Jordan placed third with 261 points, while Anthony Davis came in fourth with 107 points. - GMA News