NBA Defensive Player of The Year
Table Of Contents:
It’s always the ideal time to start searching for the futures bets you wish to make. One of those markets is the NBA Defensive Player of the Year betting.
This article will focus on NBA Defensive Player of the Year betting, providing you with many of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidates, more specifically the NBA Defensive Player of the Year favorites. Of course, this will include the current NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds and our 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year predictions.
Current NBA Defensive Player of the Year 2025-26 Odds
The table below will provide you with the latest NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds. All of these odds to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year can be found at the best NBA betting sites across America. Keep in mind that the NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds included are for the top five NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidates, most notably the NBA Defensive Player of the Year favorites.
| Rank 🎯 | Player 🏀 | Odds 🔢 |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) | -175 |
| #2 | Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder) | +700 |
| #3 | Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) | +900 |
| #4 | Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets) | +1800 |
| #5 | Dyson Daniels (Atlanta Hawks) | +2200 |
🏀 Betting on NBA Defensive Player of the Year Futures
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds that can be found at many of the major online sportsbooks. In the table below, we have provided some of these other sportsbooks that you can use to bet on our NBA Defensive Player of the Year 2025-26 predictions. In addition to that, we have also provided the different welcome bonuses for each of these sportsbooks and a link so you will be able to unlock them for yourself.
| Rank 🎯 | Sportsbook 🏠 | Welcome Offer 🔥 | Promo Code 🔓 |
|---|---|---|---|
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🏟️ NBA Defensive Player of the Year Candidates for 2025-26: Who are the Favorites?
Using the table mentioned earlier, below we will go through the top three NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidates and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year favorites. For each of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidates in 2025-26, we will include their current NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds and compare them to the rest of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year betting board.
Victory Wembanyama NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds (-175)
First on the list of NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidates for the 2025-26 season is Victor Wembanyama for the San Antonio Spurs. His odds to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year are -175 at Caesars Sportsbook. As the top nominee last year, Wembanyama is looking to claim his first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. In his second year in the league, the French phenom averaged 24.3 PPG, 11.0 REB, 3.8 BLK and 1.1 STL all while averaging just 2.3 fouls per game. His unique body size and ability to guard every position truly makes him an enigma on the defensive side of the court, and Wembanyama is the deserved odds-on favorite to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025-26 regular season.
Chet Holmgren NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds (+700)
The player with the second-shortest NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds for the 2025-26 season is the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren. His NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds are +700 at FanDuel Sportsbook. Last season, Chet averaged 8.0 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 0.7 steals and 2.3 fouls per game. Although his numbers were slightly lower than Wembanyama’s, he showed that his defensive presence is felt on every possession and was a key reason why the Thunder won the NBA Finals. Therefore, backing Holmgren’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds in 2025-26 could be worth it at a +700 price.
Evan Mobley NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds (+900)
Third on the betting board for NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds in 2025-26 is Evan Mobley from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who is the reigning winner of the award. His NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds are +900 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Last season, Mobley put up 9.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 0.9 steals and just 2.0 fouls per game. After Wemby went down with an injury, Mobley’s Defensive Player of the Year odds shortened, and he won the award over the Hawks Dyson Daniels and Warriors Draymond Green. Mobley should be the main defensive presence for the Cavs once again this season, so he’ll be right in the mix for the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2025-26.
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Predictions: Who Will Win in 2025-26?
Our 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year prediction is for it to be won by Victor Wembanyama from the San Antonio Spurs. Once again, his NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds are -175. He’s never won the award, but he was the odds-on favorite to win last year’s award until he was ruled out for the season due to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his right shoulder. However, he’s been cleared to play ahead of the 2025-26 season, so if he stays healthy, he should win the 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
👀 NBA Defensive Player of the Year 2025-26: Longshot Candidates to Watch
Our NBA Defensive Player of the Year prediction in terms of a longshot would be Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies. His NBA Defensive Player of the Year betting odds are +4000 at multiple sportsbooks. The Memphis Center/Power Forward won the award during the 2022-23 season, and it’s ridiculous that his odds are this high. He consistently anchors the Grizzlies defense and can guard any position on the floor. Although it’s a longshot, backing Jaren Jackson Jr.’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds at +4000 is worth it for the 2025-26 season.
🤔 How we Make our NBA Defensive Player of the Year 2025-26 Predictions
Our NBA Defensive Player of the Year predictions are heavily influenced by the players’ stats in the previous season. Of course, their NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds play a factor as not often does a player with long odds win this award, there we tend to look for players with shorter to medium odds.
📱 How the NBA Defensive Player of the Year is Decided
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year award is determined by a group of voters made up of broadcasters and sports writers, each voter has a total of three votes and a 5-3-1 system is used. This means that first-place votes are worth five points, second-place votes are worth three points and third-place votes are worth one point. Whichever one of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidates 2025-26 receives the most points will win this award.
📊 Trends & Statistics for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year
Because this award focuses on defense, the following statistics could play a major role in determining the winner:
- Rebounds per game
- Blocks per game
- Steals per game
In terms of a trend, having a good defense as a team overall can play a factor in determining the winner of this award. If a team is allowing an average of 125 points per game, chances are there is not a player on that team that is making a real impact defensively compared to a team that is allowing closer to 108 points per game.
🙂 Teams With the Most NBA Defensive Player of the Year Winners
| Team | No. of Winners |
| Detroit Pistons | 6 |
| Utah Jazz | 5 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 4 |
| Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic | 3 |
| Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies | 2 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves | 1 |
🙁 Teams With Zero NBA Defensive Player of the Year Winners
The following are the teams who have never had a player win an NBA Defensive Player of the Year futures award:
- Brooklyn Nets
- Charlotte Hornets
- Dallas Mavericks
- Los Angeles Clippers
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Phoenix Suns
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Sacramento Kings
- Toronto Raptors
- Washington Wizards
🏆 Past 10 Winners of NBA Defensive Player of the Year
| Year | Winner | Team | Position | Odds |
| 2024-25 | Evan Mobley | Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18) | Center | +1600 |
| 2023-2024 | Rudy Gobert | Minnesota Timberwolves (56-26) | Center | +1800 |
| 2022-2023 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Memphis Grizzlies (51-31) | Power Forward | +2000 |
| 2021-2022 | Marcus Smart | Boston Celtics (51-31) | Point Guard | +4000 |
| 2020-2021 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz (52-20) | Center | +300 |
| 2019-2020 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks (56-17) | Power Forward | +400 |
| 2018-2019 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz (50-32) | Center | +163 |
| 2017-2018 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz (48-34) | Center | +325 |
| 2016-2017 | Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors (67-15) | Power Forward | +550 |
| 2015-2016 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs (67-15) | Small Forward | +550 |
Given the table above, your NBA Defensive Player of the Year betting would likely be focused on players who play a Forward or Center. Nine of the 10 previous winners of this award played at one of those positions.
🥇 Who has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Most Often?
The following players have won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year futures award the most:
- Dikembe Mutombo (1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001)
- Ben Wallace (2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006)
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Luke Lindholm
Managing Editor for US Media Partnerships
