The NBA announced today that Marcus Camby of the Denver Nuggets has won the 2006-07 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

The 6-11 forward/center averaged a league-high 3.30 blocks to go along with 11.7 rpg (tied for fourth in the NBA), 11.2 ppg and a career-high 3.2 apg. Camby led the Nuggets in starts (70) and recorded a career-best 32 games with double figures in both points and rebounds. Camby also led all centers in steals (1.24 spg), while his assists were second among centers.

Since entering the NBA in 1996, Camby has been one of the game?s best shot blockers.  His career average of 2.56 blocks ranks fourth among all active players and has led the league in blocks on three occasions ? 1997-98, 2005-06 and 2006-07.  Camby joins George Johnson, Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon and Theo Ratliff with three blocked shots titles, and is just one title behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mark Eaton for the most all-time.

Camby received 431 points, including 70 first-place votes, from a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

San Antonio?s Bruce Bowen finished second with 206 points and his teammate Tim Duncan finished third with 158 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.