All you need to know about the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award, including the latest odds, past winners, when the award is announced, and more.
Evan Mobley | -170 |
Dyson Daniels | +450 |
Jaren Jackson Jr. | +500 |
Luguentz Dort | +1000 |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | +3500 |
Draymond Green | +6000 |
Ivica Zubac | +6000 |
Jalen Williams | +6000 |
San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama entered the season as the Defensive Player of the Year favorite and held onto that status until late February, but he was ruled out for the season which has led to major market shifts.
Evan Mobley, power forward/center for the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, is the new favorite to win DPOY (-170).
The fourth-year player is averaging 0.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game, he has helped the Cavs to the seventh-best defensive rating in the league, and he allows the fifth-lowest field goal percentage of any center as the nearest defender at 43.6 percent. Within six feet of the basket, he allows the seventh-lowest shooting percentage among centers (53.6).
Atlanta Hawks wing/guard Dyson Daniels has moved up to second in the betting (+450), and he has the shortest odds of any perimeter defender. Daniels, who hails from Australia and is nicknamed the Great Barrier Thief, is averaging an NBA-best 3.0 steals and ranks sixth in defensive box plus-minus (+2.6).
Jaren Jackson Jr., the Memphis Grizzlies forward/center and 2022/23 Defensive Player of the Year winner, is now the +500 third-favorite after he had been the -125 favorite right after Wemby's injury. He is averaging 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per game for a Grizz team that ranks 10th in defensive rating while allowing the sixth-lowest field goal percentage defensively, and he allows the lowest overall field goal percentage of any center (41.3 percent) in the NBA.
The last player at 10/1 or shorter is Oklahoma City Thunder guard/wing Luguentz Dort at +1000. Nicknamed "Dorture Chamber" for his ability to defend the perimeter, Dort allows the sixth-lowest overall field goal percentage among guards (41.4 percent), averages 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks, and plays heavy minutes for the team with the best DRtg in the NBA.
The outsiders to win the 2024/25 DPOY Award, are Thunder point guard and MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+3500), Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (+6000), Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac (+6000), and Oklahoma City Thunder forward/wing Jalen Williams (+6000).
Year | Winner | Team |
2023-24 | Rudy Gobert | Minnesota Timberwolves |
2022-23 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Memphis Grizzlies |
2021-22 | Marcus Smart | Boston Celtics |
2020-21 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz |
2019-20 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks |
2018-19 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz |
2017-18 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz |
2016-17 | Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors |
2015-16 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs |
2014-15 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs |
2013-14 | Joakim Noah | Chicago Bulls |
2012-13 | Marc Gasol | Memphis Grizzlies |
2011-12 | Tyson Chandler | New York Knicks |
2010-11 | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic |
2009-10 | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic |
2008-09 | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic |
2007-08 | Kevin Garnett | Boston Celtics |
2006-07 | Marcus Camby | Denver Nuggets |
2005-06 | Ben Wallace | Detroit Pistons |
2004-05 | Ben Wallace | Detroit Pistons |
2003-04 | Ron Artest | Indiana Pacers |
2002-03 | Ben Wallace | Detroit Pistons |
2001-02 | Ben Wallace | Detroit Pistons |
2000-01 | Dikembe Mutombo | Philadelphia 76ers |
1999-00 | Alonzo Mourning | Miami Heat |
1998-99 | Alonzo Mourning | Miami Heat |
1997-98 | Dikembe Mutombo | Houston Rockets |
1996-97 | Dikembe Mutombo | Atlanta Hawks |
1995-96 | Gary Payton | Seattle SuperSonics |
1994-95 | Dikembe Mutombo | Denver Nuggets |
1993-94 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets |
1992-93 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets |
1991-92 | David Robinson | San Antonio Spurs |
1990-91 | Dennis Rodman | Detroit Pistons |
1989-90 | Dennis Rodman | Detroit Pistons |
1988-89 | Mark Eaton | Utah Jazz |
1987-88 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
1986-87 | Michael Cooper | Los Angeles Lakers |
1985-86 | Alvin Robertson | San Antonio Spurs |
1984-85 | Mark Eaton | Utah Jazz |
1983-84 | Sidney Moncrief | Milwaukee Bucks |
1982-83 | Sidney Moncrief | Milwaukee Bucks |
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year award is typically announced during the NBA Playoffs. In 2024, the announcement that Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert won the award came on May 7.
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year award is voted on by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.
Each member of the voting panel casts a vote for their first, second, and third place selections, with each vote worth five, three, and one point, respectively. The player with the highest point total, regardless of first-place votes, wins the award.
The trophy for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award is named after Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history. The trophy is a crystal-sculpted basket that holds a gold player figurine in a classic defensive stance.
Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.