NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, the league announced Thursday. Mobley is the first Cleveland Cavalier to win the award and, at 23, is the second-youngest player ever to win it, trailing only Dwight Howard,

F rom the opening tip of the season, Evan Mobley was the best defender on a Cavaliers team that had the eighth-best defense in the league — and a 108.6 defensive rating when he

Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Evan Mobley is the recipient of the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy as the 2024-25 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year. A four-year NBA veteran, Mobley has been named the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the first time. The 7-footer is the first player to earn the honor with the Cavaliers.