Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers named NBA Defensive Player of the Year
Evan Mobley, the dominant center for the Cleveland Cavaliers, was awarded the title of NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season on Thursday. Known for his impressive shot-blocking abilities, Mobley received this prestigious honor after ranking sixth in the league with a career-high average of 1.59 blocked shots per game.
In an interview on TNT, Mobley expressed his excitement, stating, "It feels great... My movement at this size I feel like (is) unordinary but it just feels amazing to finally get this award."
The 23-year-old received 35 first-place votes and a total of 285 points from a panel of 100 voters. Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks (25 first-place votes, 197 points) came in second, followed by Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors (15, 154 points) in third place. Luguentz Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder (11, 109 points) and Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets (9, 93 points) rounded out the top five.
This season, Mobley, who has been with the Cavaliers for four years, achieved career highs in points (18.5), free throw attempts (4.3), rebounds (9.3), and steals (0.9) per game. He also became one of only four players in the league to record 200 steals and 400 blocked shots over a four-year period. His impressive performance helped lead the Cavaliers to the best record (64-18) and top seed in the Eastern Conference, with the team ranking third in the league for defensive percentage.
Selected as the third overall pick in the 2021 draft from the University of Southern California, Mobley has quickly made a name for himself in the NBA. He was named to the All-Rookie team in 2021-22 and the All-Defensive team in 2022-23.
According to ESPN, Mobley's contract includes an escalator clause that will increase his salary from 25 percent to 30 percent of the team's cap if he wins DPOY. This will result in a significant increase in his cap number from $38.7 million to $46.4 million next season, and an expected $45 million more over the duration of his contract, which is set to expire in 2030.
This increase in salary will put the Cavaliers over the second apron for the 2025-26 season, with an expected salary of $219 million.
