NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds 2025
- NBA Odds
An NBA player hasn’t captured back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards since Rudy Gobert pulled the trick in in 2018 and 2019. That could change this season, as the preseason second favorite among NBA DPoY betting odds is Rudy Gobert, the Minnesota Timberwolves big man who won it in 2024.
Gobert is a worthy favorite second favourite but there are plenty of excellent defensive players in the mix heading into the regular season. Read on for the latest odds and commentary on the NBA DPoY odds for 2025.
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NBA Defensive Player of the Year 2025 Favorites
- Victor Wembanyama (-250)
- Rudy Gobert (+1300)
- Chet Holmgren +(1500)
- Bam Adebayo (+1600)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1500)
- Anthony Davis (+2000)
- Evan Mobley (2000)
- Jaren Jackson Jr (+2000)
Here is a look at the top four contenders among 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds:
Victor Wembanyama (-250)
There was a lot of hype surrounding Victor Wembanyama at the start of last season with many feeling he may not be able to live up to it. However, Wembanyama managed to prove the believers right and the doubters wrong by putting up some fantastic perfromances throughout the season. Wembanyama was fantastic defensively which has seen him become the early favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2025.
Head over to BetMGM if you’d like to place a wager on the DPOY 2025 favorite, and pick up a great free bets offer when you sign up.
Rudy Gobert (+1300)
Rudy Gobert has seen his career reignite at the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Frenchman was fantastic throught the course of the regular season and postseason in 2024 which saw him win Defensive Player of the Year. This was a record equalizing 4th award for Gobert with only Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace winning the award 4 times as well. Gobert is the early second favorite for the award which would see him be the only player in history to win the award five times.
Chet Holmgren (+15000)
Holmgren, the center for the Oklahoma City Thunder, is an intriguing candidate on this list.
Mobley will be 22 years old this season and is at a ripe spot in his career in that he’s gained valuable experience but is still in his physical prime. He averaged 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 0.6 steals per game last season. If he sees a slight uptick in those numbers and continues his defensive prowess, Mobley’s DPoY odds looks set to shorten even further.
How the NBA Defensive Player of the Year is Decided
The Defensive Player of the Year award — now also known as the Hakeem Olajuwon trophy — is presented to the best-performing defensive player in the regular season. The playoffs have no bearing on the voting. Typically, players with the best rebound and block stats win the award, with only eight perimeter players having won the award in its history. The most recent of these was Kawhi Leonard in both 2015 and 2016.
At the end of the regular season, a panel of 124 leading media members casts three votes for their first, second, and third-best nominees. The first-place vote is worth five points, second is worth three points, and third is worth one point. The player with the most points, regardless of whether they were selected first more than any other player, wins the DPoY award.
As of last season, the NBA players’ new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) will mean that players will only be eligible for the award if they have amassed 65 appearances of 20 minutes or more. Two “near misses” are allowed whereby a player may be eligible if for two of his 65 appearances he racked up between 15 and 19 minutes. Players with 62 games’ worth of 20-minute appearances may also be included if they suffered season-ending injuries or have fallen victim to what the CBA defines as “bad faith circumstances”.
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award History
Who have been the dominant defensive forces in years past? Take a look at the winners of Defensive Player of the Year over the past decade.
- 2024 - Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
- 2023 – Jaren Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies
- 2022 – Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
- 2021 – Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
- 2020 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- 2019 – Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
- 2018 – Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
- 2017 – Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
- 2016 – Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
- 2015 – Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
- 2014 – Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls
Teams with No NBA Defensive Player of the Year Winners
A surprising number of NBA teams have failed to register a single Defensive Player of the Year award. At the time of writing, this applies to the following franchises:
- Brooklyn Nets
- Charlotte Hornets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Dallas Mavericks
- Los Angeles Clippers
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Phoenix Suns
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Sacramento Kings
- Toronto Raptors
- Washington Wizards
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds FAQs
Who won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award last year?
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Who decides the NBA Defensive Player of the Year?
As with other NBA end-of-season awards, the Defensive Player of the Year is selected by a panel of North American sportswriters. Each member of the panel casts a first, second and third place vote (worth 5 points, 3 points and 1 point, respectively), and the player with the most points wins.
Can a player win Defensive Player of the Year more than once?
Yes, 10 different players have won NBA Defensive Player of the Year more than once, led by Rudy Gobert, Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo with four apiece. The active players with multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards are Clippers swingman Kawhi Leonard and Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert.
Which player holds the most NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards?
Three players have amassed four Defensive Player of the year awards: Dikembe Mutombo, Rudy Gobert and Ben Wallace. Mutombo won his four awards in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001 — once for the Denver Nuggets, twice for the Atlanta Hawks, and once for the Philadelphia 76ers respectively. Wallace’s awards came in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006, all whilst playing for the Detroit Pistons. Gobert won his awards in 2018, 2019, 2021 and most revently in 2024
Who is the favorite to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2025?
At the time of writing, Victor Wembanyama is the favorite for the NBA DPOY.
When is the NBA Defensive Player of the Year announced?
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year will be announced shortly after the conclusion of the NBA Finals sometime in June 2025. The three finalists will be announced soon after the end of the regular season, with the final games dated for April 14 2025. If you're looking to get the best odds for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, generally speaking you'll get them earlier in the season rather than later.
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