A list of all the past NBA Defensive Player of the Year winners

A list of all the past NBA Defensive Player of the Year winners

Steve Njuguna
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:24 PM

The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award has been awarded to the league's best defensive player during the regular season. The winner is nominated from a panel of 124 sports journalists selected from across the USA and Canada.

Today we talk about the defensive player of the year in the NBA year by year
Former Boston Celtics guard Kevin Garnett receives the NBA defensive player of the year award for the 2007-2008 season. Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler
Source: Getty Images

First established in the 1983-1984 season, many famous basketball players have won the award. The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year candidates use their superb reading of the game to ensure their teams to victory. Some examples include Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon, both in the Naismith Basketball hall of fame.

Who has the most NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards?

Two players tie for the best Defensive Player of the Year titles in history. Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace have both won the title four times. Rudy Gobert and Dwight Howard are next in line with three awards each. Six other players have two titles: Mark Eaton, Sidney Moncrief, Alonzo Mourning, Kawhi Leonard., Dennis Rodman, and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Ben Wallace has the most NBA defensive player of the year awards.
Ben Wallace won the defensive player of the year four times, all while playing for the Detroit Pistons. Photo by Tom Pidgeon
Source: Getty Images

The full list of the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year winners

The first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner was Sydney Moncrief. Here is a full NBA Defensive Player of the Year winners list up until the 2021-2022 season:

Here is the full list of NBA defensive player of the year winners
Moncrief won the award twice during his career. Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein
Source: Getty Images

Player

Team

Year

Sidney Moncrief

Milwaukee Bucks

1982-1983, 1983-1984 (2 titles)

Mark Eaton

Utah Jazz

1984-1985,1988-1989 (2 titles)

Alvin Robertson

San Antonio Spurs

1985-1986

Michael Cooper

Los Angeles Lakers

1986-1987

Michael Jordan

Chicago Bulls

1987-1988

Dennis Rodman

Detroit Pistons

1989-1990,1990-1991 (2 titles)

David Robinson

San Antonio Spurs

1991-1992

Hakeem Olajuwon

Houston Rockets

1992-1993,1993-1994 (2 titles)

Dikembe Mutombo

Denver Nuggets, Atalanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers

1994-1995,1996-1997,1997-1998, 2000-2001 (4 titles)

Gary Payton

Seattle Supersonics

1995-1996

Alonzo Mourning

Miami Heat

1998-1999,1999-2000 (2 titles)

Ben Wallace

Detroit Pistons

2001-2002,2002-2003,2004-2005,2005-2006 (4 titles)

Ron Artest

Indiana Pacers

2003-2004

Marcus Camby

Denver Nuggets

2006-2007

Kevin Garnett

Boston Celtics

2007-2008

Dwight Howard

Orlando Magic

2008-2009,2009-2010,2010-2011 (3 titles)

Tyson Chandler

New York Knicks

2011-2012

Marc Gasol

Memphis Grizzlies

2012-2013

Joakim Noah

Chicago Bulls

2013-2014

Kawhi Leonard

San Antonio Spurs

2014-2015, 2015-2016 (2 titles)

Draymond Green

Golden State Warriors

2016-2017

Rudy Gobert

Utah Jazz

2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2020-2021 (3 titles)

Giannis Antetekoumpo

Milwaukee Bucks

2019-2020

Marcus Smart

Boston Celtics

2021-2022

Dikembe Mutombo ranks highest on the NBA defensive player of the year winners list.
Dikembe Mutombo has won the award a record four times. Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant
Source: Getty Images

Who has won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year and MVP in the same year?

Three players have won the Defensive Player of the Year title and the most valuable player award in the same season. Michael Jordan in the 1987-1998 season with the Chicago Bulls, Hakeem Olajuwon during the 1994 season with the Houston Rockets and Giannis Antentenkoumpo in the 2019-2020 season with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Defence is vital in every successful NBA franchise, and an expert in that field is worth his weight in gold. All the names on the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year winners list will go down as having left an indelible mark on the league and basketball in general.

READ MORE: How many teams make the NBA playoffs each year, and what are the criteria for making it to the playoffs?

Sportsbrief recently made a post detailing how many teams make the NBA playoffs each year and the criteria for making it. Reaching the NBA playoffs is the main goal for all NBA teams, as it is the only way a team can qualify for the finals and win the championship. Click the link above and see the pathway teams use to get to the playoffs.

Authors
Steve Njuguna photo
Steve Njuguna
Steve Njuguna is a media professional with close to a decade of experience in the sports media industry. He has previously worked as a sports journalist with Bamba Sports TV, Vybez Radio and The Nairobian newspaper.