NBA Defensive Player of the Year

{{Short description|National Basketball Association award}}

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{{Use American English|date=January 2021}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}

{{Infobox sports award

| name = NBA Defensive Player of the Year

| image = {{multiple image

| total_width = 300

| image_style = border:none

| border = none

| align = center

| image1 = Ben Wallace 4104263221 (cropped2).jpg

| image2 = Lipofsky-Dikembe Mutombo (cropped).jpg

| image3 = Rudy Gobert.jpg

| footer = Ben Wallace, Dikembe Mutombo and Rudy Gobert have each won the award a record four times.

}}

| alt =

| caption =

| sport = Basketball

| league = National Basketball Association

| givenfor = Best defensive player in regular season of the National Basketball Association

| first = {{NBA Year|1982}}

| mostwins = 4 (three-way tie)

• Dikembe Mutombo, Denver Nuggets/Atlanta Hawks/Philadelphia 76ers ({{nbay|1994|end}}, {{nbay|1996|end}}, {{nbay|1997|end}}, {{nbay|2000|end}})
• Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons ({{nbay|2001|end}}, {{nbay|2002|end}}, {{nbay|2004|end}}, {{nbay|2005|end}})
• Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz/Minnesota Timberwolves ({{nbay|2017|end}}, {{nbay|2018|end}}, {{nbay|2020|end}}, {{nbay|2023|end}})

| mostrecent = Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves ({{nbay|2023|end}})

}}

{{NBA Awards}}

The NBA Defensive Player of the Year 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, second-place votes are worth three points, and a third-place vote is worth one. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/news/camby_defensiveplayer_070427.html |title=Nuggets' Camby Wins NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award|access-date=July 7, 2008 |date=May 1, 2007 |publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc |work=NBA.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108103334/http://www.nba.com/news/camby_defensiveplayer_070427.html|archive-date=November 8, 2012|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/news/garnett_defensive_080422.html |title=Kevin Garnett Wins Defensive Player of the Year Award|access-date=July 10, 2008 |date=April 25, 2008 |publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc |work=NBA.com|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629161405/http://www.nba.com/news/garnett_defensive_080422.html|archive-date=June 29, 2012|url-status=dead}} Since the 2022–23 NBA season, winners receive the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, named after the two-time defensive player of the year winner.

Dikembe Mutombo, Ben Wallace, and Rudy Gobert have each won the award a record four times.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40102549/timberwolves-rudy-gobert-named-defensive-player-year|title=Gobert ties NBA record with fourth DPOY award|date=May 7, 2024|website=ESPN.com}} Dwight Howard has won the award three times,{{cite news|first=Tim|last=Botemps|title=Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert wins 3rd career NBA Defensive Player of Year award|date=June 10, 2021|website=ESPN.com|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31600264/utah-jazz-center-rudy-gobert-wins-3rd-career-nba-defensive-player-year-award|access-date=July 4, 2021}} and is the only player ever to have won it in three consecutive seasons.{{cite news |last=McMenamin |first=Dave |title=Dwight Howard trying to avoid 'circus' |date=February 5, 2013 |publisher=ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/8915802/dwight-howard-los-angeles-lakers-remains-focused-season |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206035457/http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/8915802/dwight-howard-los-angeles-lakers-remains-focused-season |archive-date=February 6, 2013 |url-status=live}} Sidney Moncrief, Mark Eaton, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alonzo Mourning and Kawhi Leonard have each won it twice. The most recent award recipient is Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Although five of the first six winners were perimeter players, the award has traditionally been given to big men who rebound and block shots.{{cite news |last=Stein |first=Marc |title=Defending the little guy |date=January 8, 2004 |website=ESPN.com |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=1704271&type=Columnist&imagesPrint=off |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217003910/http://espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1704271&type=Columnist&imagesPrint=off |archive-date=February 17, 2016 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Moore |first=Matt |title=Rethinking Defensive Player of the Year: The Defensive Duo Award |date=April 7, 2015 |website=CBSSports.com |url=http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25139157/rethinking-defensive-player-of-the-year-the-defensive-duo-award |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302004258/http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25139157/rethinking-defensive-player-of-the-year-the-defensive-duo-award |archive-date=March 2, 2016 |url-status=live}} Only eight perimeter players have been honored: Moncrief, Alvin Robertson, Michael Cooper, Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Ron Artest, Kawhi Leonard{{cite news |last=Winderman |first=Ira |title=LeBron second in vote for NBA Defensive Player of Year |date=April 24, 2013 |newspaper=South Floria Sun Sentinel |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/fl-xpm-2013-04-24-sfl-miami-heat-lebron-james-s042413-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315221207/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/fl-xpm-2013-04-24-sfl-miami-heat-lebron-james-s042413-story.html |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |url-status=live}} and Marcus Smart. Payton and Smart are the only two point guards to have won.{{cite news|title=Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart wins NBA Defensive Player of the Year award for first time|date=April 18, 2022|website=ESPN.com|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33763528/boston-celtics-marcus-smart-wins-nba-defensive-player-year-award-first|access-date=April 19, 2022}} Jordan, Olajuwon, David Robinson, Kevin Garnett and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the only winners to have also won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) during their careers;{{cite news |first=Matt |last=Velazquez |title=Giannis Antetokounmpo is named NBA defensive player of the year and wants to share the credit |date=August 25, 2020 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2020/08/25/bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-named-nba-defensive-player-year/3438568001/|access-date=August 26, 2020|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101170200/https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2020/08/25/bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-named-nba-defensive-player-year/3438568001/|url-status=live}} Jordan, Olajuwon and Antetokounmpo won both awards in the same season. In Olajuwon's case, he is the only one to have also won the NBA Finals MVP Award and the NBA championship in the same season.{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/history/players/olajuwon_bio.html |title=Hakeem Olajuwon Bio|access-date=July 10, 2008 |publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc |work=NBA.com|archive-date=June 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622200025/http://www.nba.com/history/players/olajuwon_bio.html|url-status=live}} Jordan is the only recipient to have also won the scoring title in the same season,{{cite news|first=Bob|last=Sakamoto|title=JORDAN EASILY DEFEATS BIRD IN MVP VOTING|date=May 25, 1988|work=South Florida Sun-Sentinel|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1988-05-25-8802010234-story.html|access-date=October 10, 2022}} when he also became the only player to win the award while averaging over 30 points per game (35.0).{{cite news|title=By the numbers: Michel Jordan's unparalleled Bull career|date=February 18, 2016|work=NBC Sports Chicago|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-bulls/numbers-michael-jordans-unparalleled-bulls-career|access-date=October 10, 2022}} On four occasions, the Defensive Player of the Year recipient was not voted to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in the same year. Robertson in 1986, Mutombo (1995), Tyson Chandler (2012), and Marc Gasol (2013) were instead named to the second team. Whereas the Defensive Player of the Year is voted on by the media, the All-Defensive teams were voted on by NBA coaches prior to 2014.{{cite news |last=Begley |first=Ian |title=Tyson named to all-defensive second team |date=May 23, 2012 |publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/19852/tyson-named-to-nbas-all-defensive-second-team |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626100842/http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/19852/tyson-named-to-nbas-all-defensive-second-team |archive-date=June 26, 2012 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=McGraw |first=Mike |title=Noah dominates all-defensive voting |date=June 2, 2014 |newspaper=Daily Herald |url=http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/7925 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151204/http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/7925 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |url-status=live}}

Effective with the 2023–24 season, when a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and its players' union took effect, players must appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for most major regular-season awards, including Defensive Player of the Year. To receive credit for a game for purposes of award eligibility, a player must have been credited with at least 20 minutes played. However, two "near misses", in which the player appeared for 15 to 19 minutes, can be included in the 65-game count. Protections also exist for players who suffer season-ending injuries, who are eligible with 62 credited games, and those affected by what the CBA calls "bad faith circumstances".{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/more-details-emerge-on-new-nba-cba-including-details-on-65-game-threshold-for-awards |title=More details emerge on new NBA CBA, including details on 65-game threshold for awards |first=Kurt |last=Helin |work=NBC Sports |date=April 18, 2023 |access-date=June 28, 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://imgix.cosmicjs.com/25da5eb0-15eb-11ee-b5b3-fbd321202bdf-Final-2023-NBA-Collective-Bargaining-Agreement-6-28-23.pdf |title=Article XXIX, Section 6: Games Played Requirement for Certain League Honors |work=NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement |publisher=National Basketball Players Association |pages=432–38 |date=July 2023 |access-date=September 13, 2023}} The games played requirement specifically applies to the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Most Improved Player awards, as well as the All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams.