The leaderboard for NBA Defensive Player of the Year betting odds is essentially Victor Wembanyama against the field, as the San Antonio Spurs sophomore currently owns -200 odds with just one other player better than 10-to-1.
Here's a look at the updated betting odds and where Wembanyama and all other contenders for the Hakeem Olajuwon trophy currently sit.
2025 NBA Defensive Player Of The Year Odds
| Player | Team | Current Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Victor Wembanyama | San Antonio Spurs | -200 |
| Jaren Jackson Jr. | Memphis Grizzlies | +600 |
| Evan Mobley | Cleveland Cavaliers | +1400 |
| Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors | +1400 |
| Bam Adebayo | Miami Heat | +2500 |
| Jalen Suggs | Orlando Magic | +2500 |
| Rudy Gobert | Minnesota Timberwolves | +3500 |
| Dillon Brooks | Houston Rockets | +4000 |
| Dyson Daniels | Atlanta Hawks | +4000 |
| Anthony Davis | Los Angeles Lakers | +5000 |
| Lu Dort | Oklahoma City Thunder | +6600 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | +8000 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder | +8000 |
| Tari Eason | Houston Rockets | +8000 |
Odds as of December 8, 2024 at BetMGM
NBA Defensive Player of the year Favorite: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (-200)
Prior to the start of the regular season, oddsmakers pegged Wembanyama to be the odds-on favorite for the hardware at -225, so his current -200 odds fall in line with original projections now that former contender Chet Holmgren can no longer qualify due to a lack of games played.
The Spurs only own the 17th-best defense at 113.8 points allowed per 100 possessions, but that's still an improvement year over year after ranking 21st at 115.6 points allowed per 100 possessions last season. Wembanyama is the only player averaging better than three blocks per game, as well, and his 61 total rejections are 10 more than anyone else, despite the fact that he's missed five games.
NBA Defensive Player Of The Year Darkhorse: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks (+4000)
Dyson Daniels was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the package which moved Dejounte Murray, and as things stand, the Atlanta Hawks look like A+ winners for that acquisition considering the out-of-nowhere defensive contributions Daniels is offering.
The 21-year-old wing leads the NBA in steals at 3.1, and his 36 total steals through the first 10 games were the most since Allen Iverson in 2003. He also has 141 total deflections, which is far and away atop the league as no one else has more than 100.
Past 10 NBA Defensive Player Of The Year Winners
| Year | Player | Team | Opening Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Rudy Gobert | Minnesota Timberwolves | +2000 |
| 2023 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Memphis Grizzlies | +2000 |
| 2022 | Marcus Smart | Boston Celtics | +4000 |
| 2021 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz | +300 |
| 2020 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | +400 |
| 2019 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz | +163 |
| 2018 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz | +325 |
| 2017 | Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors | +550 |
| 2016 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs | +550 |
| 2015 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs | N/A |
Of the past 10 winners of the Hakeem Olajuwon award, Rudy Gobert and Kawhi Leonard comprise 60 percent of those names, taking home six trophies between the two of them. They're also the only two players during this stretch to win in back-to-back years.
Who Has Won The Most NBA Defensive Player Of The Year Awards?
| DPOY Awards | Player | Team(s) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Dikembe Mutombo | Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks (2), Philadelphia 76ers | 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001 |
| 4 | Ben Wallace | Detroit Pistons | 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 |
| 4 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz (3), Minnesota Timberwolves | 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024 |
| 3 | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| 2 | Sidney Moncrief | Milwaukee Bucks | 1983, 1984 |
| 2 | Mark Eaton | Utah Jazz | 1985, 1989 |
| 2 | Dennis Rodman | Detroit Pistons | 1990, 1991 |
| 2 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets | 1993, 1994 |
| 2 | Alonzo Mourning | Miami Heat | 1999, 2000 |
| 2 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs | 2015, 2016 |
Only three players in history have won DPOY on four occasions, with Gobert joining that elite group this season. He and Dikembe Mutombo are the only players to win multiple times with different organizations.
NBA Teams With The Most Defensive Player Of The Year Awards
| Awards | Team | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Detroit Pistons | 1990, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 |
| 5 | Utah Jazz | 1985, 1989, 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| 4 | San Antonio Spurs | 1986, 1992, 2015, 2016 |
| 3 | Milwaukee Bucks | 1983, 1984, 2020 |
| 3 | Orlando Magic | 2009, 2010, 2011 |
NBA Defensive Player Of The Year Winners By Position
| Position | DPOY Wins |
|---|---|
| Center | 30 |
| Shooting Guard | 5 |
| Small Forward | 5 |
| Power Forward | 3 |
| Point Guard | 2 |
The center position has completely and utterly dominated the DPOY picture since the award's inception with 30 total wins. Gary Payton and Marcus Smart are the only point guards to have won since DPOY was introduced in 1983.
NBA Teams With Zero Defensive Player Of The Year Winners
The following teams have never had an NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner: Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, and Washington Wizards.
How To Read NBA Defensive Player Of the Year Odds
When you visit your NBA betting site of choice, you’ll notice 2024-25 NBA MVP odds laid out like this:
- Victor Wembanyama -160
- Chet Holmgren +1200
It's like a moneyline bet where favorites are shown by the minus sign (-) and underdogs have a plus sign (+). In this scenario, Victor Wembanyama is favored. If you were to bet $100 on Wembanyama in the NBA DPOY betting odds and it hits, you would win $62.50 – your $100 is returned and you would get $62.50 in profit.
If you were to bet on which player will be named DPOY, you would make a futures bet.
What Is A Futures Bet?
This is a bet made on events that will happen in time. In this case, it’s DPOY. To make a futures bet, you would first use the handicapping info on this page to make your decision. Our Odds Calculator can give you an idea of how much you’d win based on the DPOY odds and the amount of money you bet.
