Minnesota's Rudy Gobert named Defensive Player of Year for 4th time

Rudy Gobert, the Minnesota Timberwolves' center, was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth time on Tuesday.

Gobert tied Hall of Fame big men Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace for the most award wins in league history. He received 72 first-place votes and 433 points from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

Gobert finished tied for sixth in blocks per game (2.1), averaging 14 points and 12.9 rebounds in 76 games for his ninth consecutive season of double-doubles.

"We love to give individual awards and all these things and it's great, but you can't do it alone," Gobert said. "I really have a lot of gratitude for (Timberwolves president of basketball operations) Tim Connelly, (head coach) Chris Finch, all my teammates allowing me to do what I do best every day. Just try to change the culture in Minnesota."

But Gobert's most notable achievement this season was anchoring the Timberwolves' stifling defence. Minnesota led the regular season in points allowed per game (106.5) and field goal percentage allowed (45 percent), while ranking fifth in blocks (4.5) and rebounds (41.4).

"It's great to the guys for buying in and coming every single night with the same mindset," Gobert said. "We really wanted to be a defensive-minded team and we really want to do that so far this year."

Gobert, the first player in Timberwolves franchise history to win the award, previously won three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Utah Jazz (2018, 2019, and 2021). Gobert, a three-time All-Star, has averaged 12.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 757 regular-season games for the Jazz (2013-2022) and Timberwolves (2023-2024).

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, who was named NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday, finished second in the voting.

Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, led the league in blocks per game (3.6) and averaged 1.2 steals per game. He got 19 first-place votes and 245 points.

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (91 points) finished third, followed by Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (83) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (14) in fifth place.

SportsLigue