The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year by Year

The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year is an annual award given to the best defensive player in the league. Here’s a look at the past winners of the award and what they’ve done to deserve it.

The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year: A History

The National Basketball Association’s Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the best Defensive Player of the regular season The recipient is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points, each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.

To be eligible for the award, a player must be a starter or important reserve on his team’s defense, and he must have been in that role for most of the season. Guard Sidney Moncrief was the inaugural winner of the award in 1983. Since its inception, the award has been presented to 27 different players. Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace have each won three times (the only three-time winners), while Gary Payton Kobe Bryant Dwight Howard and Rudy Gobert have each won twice. Howard is also the only player to have won back-to-back awards; he accomplished this feat in 2009 and 2010.Mutombo was named DPOY five times during his 18-year NBA Career – a record he shares with Mark Eaton (4)and Alonzo Mourning (2). In Olajuwon’s case, he is also one of four players to have won both awards in the same season (1993–94), along with Hakeem Olajuwon(1994), Ron Artest(2004)and Marcus Camby(2006). Artest was one of only two players to win both awards within a span of four days (also representing Indiana) after he was traded from Houston to his new club on July 19, 2004; Camby did so seven years later when he was dealt from Los Angeles Clippers to Portland on June 26, 2009. Payton is also one of two players to receive the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award with multiple teams after being traded during his Defensive Player of-the year winning season; he accomplished this by winning it in 1996 with Seattle before being dealt to Milwaukee midway through the following season. nt Won defending back-to back titles in 2008–09 & 2009–10 making him one DPOYs along with Ben Wallace(2002–03 & 2003–04 ),Dwight Howard (2009–10 & 2010–11 )and Rudy Gobert(2017–18 & 2018–19 ).

The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year: The Early Years

From the NBA’s inception in 1946 to the first award being given out in 1983, defense was a key component to winning basketball games Players like Bill Russell Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were some of the best Defensive Players of their generation. In the early years of the NBA, there was no award to recognize the league’s best Defensive Player That all changed in 1983 when Sidney Moncrief became the first player to be named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Since then, many great defenders have been honored with this prestigious award. Players like Hakeem Olajuwon Michael Jordan Gary Payton, Ben Wallace, and Dwight Howard have all been named Defensive Player of the Year. These are some of the greatest defenders in NBA history and they have all made a significant impact on the game of basketball

The NBA’s defensive player of the Year: The Modern Era

Since the NBA began handing out the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1983, there have been some truly dominant defenders. In the early years of the award, it was typically given to big men who could protect the rim and rebound well. In recent years however, the award has been given to a wider range of players, including perimeter defenders and even some small forwards

Here is a list of all the winners of the Defensive Player of the Year Award in the modern ERA

-1983: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks
-1984: Mark Eaton, Utah Jazz
-1985: Patrick Ewing New York Knicks
-1986: Alonzo Mourning, Charlotte Hornets
-1987: Dennis Rodman Detroit Pistons
-1988: Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls
-1989: Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics
-1990: Dikembe Mutombo Denver Nuggets
-1991: Dennis Rodman Detroit Pistons
-1992: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets
-1993: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets
-1994: David Robinson San Antonio Spurs
-1995: Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta Hawks
-1996: Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics
-1997: Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat
-1998: Dikembe Mutombo , Atlanta Hawks -1999:-2000:-2001:-2002:-2003:-2004:-2005:-2006:-2007:-2008:-2009 : Dwight Howard , Orlando Magic -2010 : Dwight Howard , Orlando Magic -2011 : Tyson Chandler , Dallas Mavericks -2012 : Lebron James , Miami Heat -2013 : Marc Gasol , Memphis Grizzlies -2014 : Joakim Noah , Chicago Bulls -2015 : Draymond Green , Golden State Warriors -2016 : Rudy Gobert , Utah Jazz

The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year: The 2010s

Since the NBA began awarding the Defensive Player of the year award in 1982, there have been many great defensive players In the 2010s, we saw some truly dominant defenders take home the prestigious honor. Here’s a look at the winners of the award from 2010 to 2019:

2010: Dwight Howard Orlando Magic
2011: Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks
2012: Lebron James Miami Heat
2013: Marc Gasol Memphis Grizzlies
2014: Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls
2015: Draymond Green Golden State Warriors
2016: Kawhi Leonard San Antonio Spurs
2017: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
2018: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
2019: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year: The 2020s

Since the NBA began awarding the Defensive Player of the Year award in the 1983-84 season, there have been 37 different winners. Of those, 16 have been centers, 11 have been power forwards 8 have been small forwards and 2 have been point guards The most recent winner is Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz

Here is a list of the Defensive Player of the Year winners in each season since 2010:

2010-11: Tyson Chandler, C, New York Knicks
2011-12: Serge Ibaka, PF, Oklahoma City Thunder
2012-13: Marc Gasol, C, Memphis Grizzlies
2013-14: Joakim Noah, C, Chicago Bulls
2014-15: DeAndre Jordan, C, Los Angeles Clippers
2015-16: Draymond Green PF/SF/C, Golden State Warriors
2016-17: Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz
2017-18: Rudy Gobert, C ,Utah Jazz
2018-19: Rudy Gobert ,C ,Utah Jazz
2019-20: Marcus Smart ,SG/PG ,Boston Celtics

The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year: The Future

The National Basketball Association’s Defensive Player of the Year award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Each individual voter casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points, each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.

Since its inception, the award has been given to 31 different players. Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace have each won the award a record four times;Mutombo is also the only player to win the award in three consecutive seasons (1997–99). Sidney Moncrief, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dennis Rodmanand Kawhi Leonard have each won it twice. Eleven players—Mark Eaton (twice), Alonzo Mourning(twice), Marcus Camby(twice), Tim Duncan(three times), Kevin Garnett(twice), Dwight Howard (three times), LeBron James(twice), Andrei Kirilenko, Mike Ludekemper(‘once’), Joakim Noah(‘once’)and Ron Artest—have received both All-Defensive Second Team and Defensive Player of the Year honors in their careers. Garnett has also been named 3 times NBA Defensive Player per month: he won 8 monthly awards during his career with Boston Celtics only behind Dwight Howard who gathered 9 monthly awards in 5 years with Orlando Magic according to Elias Sports Bureau research on December 2016.) In 2017 Rudy Gobert became only 11th person to achieve both awards in same year joining some truly great names like: Hakeem Olajuwon 9 times , David Robinson , Alonzo Mourning , Marcus Camby , Ben Wallace , 24 years later after when Gobert was born .

Player still playing in NBA are marked with ‘asterisk’

Multiple winners
4-time winners: Dikembe Mutombo & Ben Wallace
3-time winners: Dwight Howard & Sidney Moncrief
2-time winners: Kevin Garnett*, LeBron James*,Andrei Kirilenko*, Hakeem Olajuwon*,Dennis Rodman & Kawhi Leonard*

1st 2nd 3rd
2018 – Rudy Gobert* Joel Embiid* Anthony Davis*
2017 – Rudy Gobert* Draymond Green* Kawhi Leonard*

The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year: The Candidates

The national basketball Association’s Defensive Player of the Year award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the Regular Season The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points, each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.

You can find a list of past winners here: https://www. NBA. com/history/awards/defensiveplayeroftheyear.

The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year: The Favorites

Since the National Basketball Association (NBA) began handing out the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1982, there have been a number of standout performers. In recent years however, a few players have emerged as the favorites to take home the coveted prize.

Here is a look at some of the most likely candidates to be named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season:

Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz Gobert has been one of the league’s best defensive players for several years now and he is fresh off winning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards. The 7-foot-1 center is a true rim protector and his presence in the paint helps make life difficult for opposing offenses.

Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors Green is not only one of the league’s best defenders, but he is also one of its best all-around players. The 6-foot-7 forward is an excellent rebounder and shot blocker and he also has the ability to step out and defend guards on the perimeter. Green has won Defensive Player of the Year once before and he will be looking to add another trophy to his collection.

Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers Leonard is another player who has already won Defensive Player of the Year on multiple occasions. The two-time winner is known for his excellent individual defense, but he also does a great job of leading his team’s defense as a whole. Leonard’s ability to lock down opposing players helps give the Clippers one of the league’s top defenses.

The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year: The Dark Horses

The National Basketball Association’s Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season The winner is selected by a panel of 123 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points, each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.

There have been many Great players that have won this award throughout the years. But there have also been many players that were not as well known that were great defenders that deserved this award but did not win it. In this article, we will take a look at some of these “dark horse” candidates for Defensive Player of the Year.

The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year: The Wild Cards

There have been some very close races for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award in recent years In 2014, for example, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls barely edged out Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans for the honor. In 2015, it was Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors winning by a whisker over Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs

But sometimes there are real surprise winners of the award. Here are three players who were definitely wild cards when they won Defensive Player of the Year.

Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets (1993)
Olajuwon was a two-Ime Nba champion and a sure-fire Hall of Famer, but he had never won Defensive Player of the Year before 1993. That year, however, he had one of the best all-around seasons of his career, averaging 21.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. He also led the league in steals with 3.6 per game, an incredible feat for a 7-foot center. It was enough to earn Olajuwon his first (and only) Defensive Player of the Year Award

Dikembe Mutombo, Denver Nuggets (1995)
Like Olajuwon, Mutombo was a dominant big man who had never won Defensive Player of the Year before 1995. That changed in a big way that year, as Mutombo averaged an incredible 2.8 blocks per game to go along with 12.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game He also led the league in field goal percentage, shooting an absurd 61 percent from the field. It was one of the most dominant defensive seasons ever by a player at any position, and it earned Mutombo his first Defensive Player of the Year award.

Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons (2002)
Wallace was an unheralded player for most of his career, but he had a breakout season in 2002 with Detroit that saw him average 13 points and 13 rebounds per game He also led the league in blocks with 3 per game and finished second in steals with 2.5 per game. His defensive dominance helped lead the Pistons to an unlikely NBA title that year, and it earned Wallace his first (and only) Defensive Player of the Year award