At this time last week, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was a 12-to-1 betting favorite for 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors, but as of March 22, the 35-year-old veteran can be had at minus money atop the leaderboard to capture the second award of his career.
Here's a look at where Green and all other candidates currently sit in the race to capture the Hakeem Olajuwon trophy.
2025 NBA Defensive Player Of The Year Odds
| Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors | -120 |
| Evan Mobley | Cleveland Cavaliers | +100 |
| Dyson Daniels | Atlanta Hawks | +1400 |
| Jaren Jackson Jr. | Memphis Grizzlies | +2200 |
| Luguentz Dort | Oklahoma City Thunder | +5000 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder | +20000 |
| Ivica Zubac | Los Angeles Clippers | +20000 |
Odds as of March 22, 2025 at BetMGM
NBA Defensive Player of the year Favorite: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (-120)
Following a recent 103-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on March 18 in which Green blocked four shots, stole the ball twice, and held superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to 0-of-6 shooting when guarding him, the Warriors' defensive anchor declared his intention of going after Defensive Player of the Year by suggesting he "one million percent" has a claim to the award with Victor Wembanyama no longer in the picture.
So what's changed as of late for Green to all of a sudden be the favorite? Well, in the month of March, the Warriors are holding opponents to 108.9 points per 100 possessions which is 2.1 points better than their season average. His 34 stocks (steals and blocks) are tied with Devin Vassell for the most in the Association in March, as well, and Green also just got a ringing endorsement from his highly-respected head coach Steve Kerr.
"These other guys are good defenders. I don't think any of them can do everything: protect the rim, guard pick-and-roll out at half-court, blow up stuff from the weakside," said Kerr. "Draymond, he's a defensive genius. He's also a competitive freak of nature."
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Darkhorse: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks (+1200)
"The Great Barrier Thief" finds himself as a viable candidate for not just Defensive Player of the Year, but also Most Improved Player honors stemming from an inaugural season with Atlanta that's blown everyone away. Daniels' three steals per game is far and away the best by any player in basketball, and his 194 totals are 76 more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's second-most steals.
At 241 total stocks (steals + blocks), overtaking Wembanyama's 227, Daniels is the first guard since Michael Jordan in 1987-88 to lead the Association in that particular category. The only guard since 1997 to have taken home Defensive Player of the Year was Marcus Smart in 2022, so Daniels is at least primed to make it interesting alongside Green and Evan Mobley when it's time to vote.
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.
