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The NBA Defensive Player of the Year (NBA DPOY) award was created for the 1982-83 NBA season. It has been a prestigious honor for every player who has lifted it since, and some defensive superstars have won the accolade multiple times.
10 players who won multiple NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophies
Sidney Moncrief famously won the first two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in NBA history. However, only three other guards have won the award. The accolade has mostly been dominated by big men due to their defensive presence in the paint (and some who had the ability to guard smaller players with efficiency).
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The Greek player won the NBA MVP last season and became the fifth player in NBA history to win the two awards during their careers (Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Kevin Garnett are the other four).
Giannis also became the third player to win NBA MVP and DPOY in the same season, alongside Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Since the 1982-83 season, 23 players have won the NBA DPOY award. 10 of those have done it more than once.
Without further ado, let us take a look at the 10 players with more than one NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
#10 Rudy Gobert - 2 NBA DPOY awards
Rudy Gobert is a great rim protector in today's NBA. At 7' 1'' and 258lb, the French center is a solid presence in the paint for the Utah Jazz.
His defensive game has worked well for the Jazz, as the team has made the NBA Playoffs in the last four years.
Gobert's defense was rewarded with two consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. He led the league in blocks per game once and averages 2.2 blocks per game in his career.
#9 Kawhi Leonard - 2 NBA DPOY awards
Kawhi Leonard is a superstar in the NBA today, and his great résumé started with his defensive prowess.
Along with his two NBA Finals MVP awards, Leonard won two consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, when he was playing for the San Antonio Spurs.
Leonard once led the league in steals per game and Defensive Rating. He is one of two players with multiple Finals MVP and multiple NBA DPOY awards in history, alongside Hakeem Olajuwon.
#8 Alonzo Mourning - 2 NBA DPOY awards
Hall-of-Famer Alonzo Mourning won two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards during his 15-year career. Mourning played for three teams: the Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat and the New Jersey Nets.
With Miami, Mourning was at his best. He took two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in the 1998-99 and 1999-00 NBA seasons.
He led the league in blocks per game in those two seasons, with averages of 3.9 and 3.7. His average of 3.9 in the 1998-99 season is the highest since 1996.
#7 Hakeem Olajuwon - 2 NBA DPOY awards
Hakeem Olajuwon is arguably the greatest center in NBA history. He had all the moves on offense and was great at defending almost every position when his team needed him.
He is one of five players to win the NBA MVP and NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards. He is one of three players to win MVP and NBA DPOY in the same season, alongside Michael Jordan and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Hakeem was the first player with multiple NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards and multiple Finals MVPs in NBA history (Kawhi Leonard did it afterwards).
#6 Dennis Rodman - 2 NBA DPOY awards
Dennis Rodman is surely one of the best defenders in the history of the NBA, and his rebounding is arguably unmatched. Even at 6' 7'', he led the league in seven straight seasons.
During his days with the 'Bad Boy' Detroit Pistons, Rodman won two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1990 and 1991. He was arguably the most versatile defender in NBA history.
Rodman is also a five-time NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons and the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.
#5 Mark Eaton - 2 NBA DPOY awards
Mark Eaton was an intimidating figure in the paint during the 1980s. At 7' 4'', he had unreal timing to block shots, and his defensive presence in the interior earned him two NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophies.
The center of the Utah Jazz won the award after setting the all-time record of 5.6 blocks per game in a single season. His second trophy came in 1989.
He led the league in blocks per game four times during his 11-year NBA career.
#4 Sidney Moncrief - 2 NBA DPOY awards
Sidney Moncrief is a player who might be forgotten by many, but his career was impressive. He won the first two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards as a shooting guard while playing for an underrated Milwaukee Bucks team in the 1980s.
Moncrief is one of five guards to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and is the only guard to win it more than once.
Moncrief is a Hall-of-Famer and received five All-Star, five All-NBA and five All-Defensive selections in his career.
#3 Dwight Howard - 3 NBA DPOY awards
Dwight Howard is the only player in NBA history to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in three consecutive years.
The big man was the NBA's best defender during his prime with the Orlando Magic.
With a dominant physique and his youth (he won his third NBA Defensive Player of the Year award at age 25), Howard was terrorizing opposing players and protecting the paint with supreme consistency.
His defensive prowess and overall game even helped the Magic reach the 2009 NBA Finals after defeating the Kevin Garnett-less Boston Celtics and LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Playoffs.
#2 Ben Wallace - 4 NBA DPOY awards
Ben Wallace is arguably the best undrafted player in NBA history. He left his mark in the game with his defensive intensity and winning traits.
Wallace led one of the greatest defenses in NBA history, the 2004 Detroit Pistons, and helped them win the 2004 NBA championship against a favored LA Lakers team with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Wallace won four NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards between 2002 and 2006, all with the Pistons.
#1 Dikembe Mutombo - 4 NBA DPOY awards
Dikembe Mutombo was another big man who is one of the premier shot-blockers in NBA history.
Accordingly, he won a record four NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards. He is first in this list because he was the first to reach four NBA DPOY trophies.
Mutombo won his first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award with the Denver Nuggets in the 1994-95 NBA season. He then won it twice with the Atlanta Hawks, and his fourth one came with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001.
Mutombo led the NBA in blocks per game three times, and the highest average of his career was 4.5 blocks a night in the 1995-96 season.
