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Sixers Veteran Congratulates Rudy Gobert for Major Award Win

Philadelphia 76ers' Nic Batum is happy for Rudy Gobert.

Justin Grasso

Jun 8, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) and LA Clippers forward
Jun 8, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) and LA Clippers forward / Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
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As the 2024 NBA Playoffs progress, award season is coming to a conclusion.

On Tuesday, the NBA revealed the latest winner of one of the league’s major awards, crowning Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert as the Defensive Player of the Year.

For Gobert, his recent accomplishment is nothing new, and Philadelphia 76ers forward Nicolas Batum took to X to congratulate the Western Conference standout for his fourth DPOY win.

Gobert joins elite company as he collects his fourth Defensive Player of the Year nod. He’s the third player to accomplish that feat, joining Detroit Pistons legend Ben Wallace and former Sixers big man, Dikembe Mutombo.

This summer, Batum will join forces with Gobert on an international stage. With the 2024 summer Olympics set for Paris, Batum and Gobert will represent France in the games.

While Joel Embiid and Team USA are likely to enter the Olympic Games favored to take gold this season, considering all of the NBA star power on the roster, France definitely poses a threat, as they have some notable players on the roster.

In addition to Gobert and Batum, France will also have the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, Victor Wembanyama, on the court.

Entering the 2023-2024 NBA season, Wembanyama was the first-overall pick for the Spurs. For a bit, it seemed there was a chance the Sixers could have multiple representatives on France’s team, as Embiid was weighing his options and considering linking with the Wemby-Gobert front court. In the end, Embiid picked USA.

Batum won’t play alongside Embiid again in the summer, but he’ll compete with the Defensive Player of the Year before he potentially heads back to the NBA stage.

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Justin Grasso

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA