NBA Defensive Player of the Year: Odds, winners, trophy, when is it awarded?

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.

2024/25 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds

Victor Wembanyama	-250
Rudy Gobert	+900
Bam Adebayo	+1400
Giannis Antetokounmpo	+1600
Anthony Davis	+1800
Jaren Jackson Jr.	+1800
Evan Mobley	+2000
Chet Holmgren	+2200
Joel Embiid	+2500
OG Anunoby	+2500

Victor Wembanyama -250

Heading into his second NBA season, 7-foot-4 reigning Rookie of the Year winner Victor Wembanyama is the distant favorite to win 2024/25 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Wemby led the league in total blocks (254) and blocks per game (3.6) last season, and he posted an individual defensive rating of 105.8, the second best in the league and 10.6 points below his team, the San Antonio Spurs, defensive rating for the season.

Plus, his 46.1 defensive field goal percentage was one of the best among centers in the 2023/24 season. With his eight-foot wingspan, few players have as big a defensive impact as Wemby does whenever he steps on the court.

Rudy Gobert +900

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert won the 2023/24 Defensive Player of the Year Award as a result of being the defensive anchor on one of the best defensive teams in recent memory.

He had the third-best defensive field goal percentage (43.5) among centers and the best individual defensive rating (104.5) in the NBA, and his 2.1 blocks per game was good for sixth in the league.

Bam Adebayo +1400

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo is one of the more underrated defensive players in the NBA. He doesn't block a ton of shots - just 0.9 per game last season - but his 44.1 defensive field goal percentage was fourth-best among centers last season.

The Heat had the fifth-best defensive rating last season (112.2) and Adebayo had the NBA's eighth-best individual defensive rating (108.5).

Giannis Antetokounmpo +1600

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2019/20, and he has averaged over one steal and one block per game in eight of his 11 NBA seasons.

The Greek Freak finished sixth in defensive box plus/minus last season (+2.4) and he held opponents to a 46.2 field goal percentage when he was the closest defender.

Anthony Davis +1800

The Los Angeles Lakers' defensive anchor, Anthony Davis has finished in the top five in Defensive Player of the Year voting four times but has never won the award.

He averaged 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals last season, and he held opponents to 47.2 percent shooting.

Jaren Jackson Jr. +1800

Memphis Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr. has led the league in blocks twice and won Defensive Player of the Year once, in 2022/23. He was held to 66 games in 2023/24 due to injury, and he was one of the healthier players on an injury-ridden Grizzlies roster.

Jackson held opponents to 46.7 percent shooting in 2023/24, and if his teammates stay healthy, his case for this award could be boosted if the team's defensive stats are as good as they were in his DPOY-winning campaign.

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Winners

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

When is NBA Defensive Player of the Year announced?

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.

Who votes on the NBA Defensive Player of the Year?

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.

NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophy

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.