Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert made history on Tuesday by winning his fourth consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, a feat achieved by only three other players. Gobert currently shares the record for the most DPOY honors won by a single player with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace.
At 31 years old, he is also the oldest player to receive the honor. Gobert joins Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace in the Hall of Fame as the only other players to win the award four times, having previously won it with the Utah Jazz in 2018, 2019, and 2021.
This season, Gobert has shown significant improvement from 2022–2023, when he averaged just 11.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, to 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game.
After Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama placed second in the DPOY race
Victor Wembanyama, a young San Antonio Spurs player, came in second in the voting thanks to his outstanding defensive performance. During the regular season, he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game while also leading the league in blocks per game with 3.6.
While Gobert emerged as the overwhelming favorite to earn DPOY, he had stiff competition from San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, the first overall pick, who lived up to the anticipation.
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Despite Wembanyama’s impressive statistics, Gobert’s team’s collective effort was crucial to his success.
The Timberwolves, who finished third in the Western Conference with a 56-26 record, featured Gobert as a key member of one of the NBA‘s top teams. Wembanyama played for one of the league’s poorest teams, which likely contributed to his lack of success in earning the DPOY title.
