
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the best defensive player of the regular season since the 1982-83 NBA season. The winner is chosen by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters from across the United States and Canada, each of whom votes for first, second, and third place. Each first-place vote earns five points, second-place votes earn three points, and third-place votes earn one point. The award is given to the player with the most points, regardless of the number of first-place votes.
Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace hold the record for the most NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, each receiving the award four times. Dwight Howard and Rudy Gobert have both won the award three times, with Howard winning it in three consecutive seasons. The defensive player of the year NBA award has been won twice by Sidney Moncrief, Mark Eaton, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alonzo Mourning, and Kawhi Leonard. The NBA officially announced that Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been named for the 2021-22 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Smart receives his first NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, becoming the first guard to do so since Gary Payton in the 1995-96 season. Here’s a list of the NBA defensive player of the year award winners (Per Position).
List Of Players who have won NBA Defensive Player of the Year

Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace have won the award four times in a row. Dwight Howard and Rudy Gobert have both won the NBA Defensive award three times, with Dwight Howard winning the award in three consecutive seasons. The defensive player of the year NBA award has been won twice by Sidney Moncrief, Mark Eaton, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alonzo Mourning, and Kawhi Leonard. avg internet security 2018 license key [lifetime]
Season | Player | Position | Club |
---|---|---|---|
1982–83 | Sidney Moncrief | Shooting guard | Milwaukee Bucks |
1983–84 | Sidney Moncrief | Shooting guard | Milwaukee Bucks |
1984–85 | Mark Eaton | Center | Utah Jazz |
1985–86 | Alvin Robertson | Shooting guard | San Antonio Spurs |
1986–87 | Michael Cooper | Shooting guard | Los Angeles Lakers |
1987–88 | Michael Jordan | Shooting guard | Chicago Bulls |
1988–89 | Mark Eaton | Center | Utah Jazz |
1989–90 | Dennis Rodman | Small forward | Detroit Pistons |
1990–91 | Dennis Rodman | Small forward | Detroit Pistons |
1991–92 | David Robinson | Center | San Antonio Spurs |
1992–93 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Center | Houston Rockets |
1993–94 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Center | Houston Rockets |
1994–95 | Dikembe Mutombo | Center | Denver Nuggets |
1995–96 | Gary Payton | Point guard | Seattle SuperSonics |
1996–97 | Dikembe Mutombo | Center | Atlanta Hawks |
1997–98 | Dikembe Mutombo | Center | Atlanta Hawks |
1998–99 | Alonzo Mourning | Center | Miami Heat |
1999–00 | Alonzo Mourning | Center | Miami Heat |
2000–01 | Dikembe Mutombo | Center | Philadelphia 76ers |
2001–02 | Ben Wallace | Center | Detroit Pistons |
2002–03 | Ben Wallace | Center | Detroit Pistons |
2003–04 | Ron Artest | Small forward | Indiana Pacers |
2004–05 | Ben Wallace | Center | Detroit Pistons |
2005–06 | Ben Wallace | Center | Detroit Pistons |
2006–07 | Marcus Camby | Center | Denver Nuggets |
2007–08 | Kevin Garnett | Power forward | Boston Celtics |
2008–09 | Dwight Howard* | Center | Orlando Magic |
2009–10 | Dwight Howard* | Center | Orlando Magic |
2010–11 | Dwight Howard* | Center | Orlando Magic |
2011–12 | Tyson Chandler | Center | New York Knicks |
2012–13 | Marc Gasol | Center | Memphis Grizzlies |
2013–14 | Joakim Noah | Center | Chicago Bulls |
2014–15 | Kawhi Leonard* | Small forward | San Antonio Spurs |
2015–16 | Kawhi Leonard* | Small forward | San Antonio Spurs |
2016–17 | Draymond Green* | Power forward | Golden State Warriors |
2017–18 | Rudy Gobert* | Center | Utah Jazz |
2018–19 | Rudy Gobert* | Center | Utah Jazz |
2019–20 | Giannis Antetokounmpo* | Power forward | Milwaukee Bucks |
2020–21 | Rudy Gobert* | Center | Utah Jazz |
2021–22 | Marcus Smart* | Point guard | Boston Celtics |
Note: (*) active players in the NBA
NBA defensive player of the year award winners (Per Position)
A Defensive Player of the Year Award is one of the most important honors a player can receive during their career. Why defense is important in basketball? Defense puts a lot of pressure on the offensive strategies of their opponents. Breaking these offensive strategies causes a higher rate of turnover, resulting in a change of basketball possession. When the ball is passed from the opposing team to your team, you can use offensive strategies. quick heal 2014 product key
Only one player wins it each year, and only a few have done so throughout the NBA’s history. The best defensive team will be among the best in the league. Since the first winner of the Defensive Player of the Year Award, we have seen some incredible defensive players, and here is a list of every award winner by position in the order as NBA centers have won 25 times out of 40 defensive player of the year NBA awards.
- Centers – 25
- Power Forwards – 5
- Shooting Guards – 5
- Small Forwards – 3
- Point Guards – 2
What team has the most defensive player of the year award NBA?

Teams | Year | No. of Awards |
---|---|---|
Detroit Pistons | 1990, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 | 6 |
Utah Jazz | 1985, 1989, 2018, 2019, & 2021 | 5 |
San Antonio Spurs | 1986, 1992, 2015, & 2016 | 4 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 1983, 1984, & 2020 | 3 |
Orlando Magic | 2009, 2010, 2011 | 3 |
Atlanta Hawks | 1997, 1998 | 2 |
Boston Celtics | 2008, 2022 | 2 |
Chicago Bulls | 1988, 2014 | 2 |
Denver Nuggets | 1995, 2007 | 2 |
Houston Rockets | 1993, 1994 | 2 |
Miami Heat | 1999, 2000 | 2 |
Golden State Warriors | 2017 | 1 |
Los Angeles Lakers | 1987 | 1 |
Indiana Pacers | 2004 | 1 |
Memphis Grizzlies | 2013 | 1 |
New York Knicks | 2012 | 1 |
Philadelphia 76ers | 2001 | 1 |
Seattle SuperSonics | 1996 | 1 |
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Which NBA player won MVP Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year?

Giannis Antetokounmpo won his first Finals MVP award after winning a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the 11th player in NBA history to win regular-season MVP (2018, 2019), Finals MVP (2021), and All-Star Game MVP (2021). During their NBA careers, only Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Kevin Garnett, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award (MVP). Only Jordan, Olajuwon, and Antetokounmpo have won both awards in the same season.
Read also- Ranking the best NBA Defenders of All time
Conclusion
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