Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Evan Mobley has received the prestigious Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, distinguishing him as the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season.
As a four-year NBA veteran, this marks Mobley’s first time winning the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. At 7 feet tall, he becomes the first player in Cavaliers history to achieve this accolade.
At just 23 years old, Mobley is now the fifth player in his age range to earn the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year title, joining an elite group that includes Alvin Robertson (1985-86), Dwight Howard (2008-09), Kawhi Leonard (2014-15), and Jaren Jackson Jr. (2022-23). Notably, no player younger than 23 has ever claimed this award since its inception in the 1982-83 season.
During the 2024-25 regular campaign, Mobley ranked sixth in the NBA for blocked shots per game with an average of 1.59 and placed 13th in defensive rebounds with 7.0 per game. He contested an average of 10.4 shots per game, placing third among players who participated in at least 70% of their team’s games (58 of 82).
When Mobley was the closest defender, opposing players shot 44.5% from the field—3.2% lower than their expected shooting percentage of 47.7%. This discrepancy ranked as the fourth largest among the 30 players who defended over 1,000 shots throughout the season.
Under Mobley’s leadership, the Cavaliers achieved an impressive eighth place in the NBA for defensive rating (111.8) and were third in opponents’ field goal percentage (45.4). While Mobley was active on the court, Cleveland maintained a stellar defensive rating of 108.6, putting them second in the league.
Mobley also received the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month Award twice, for December and February, and made his All-Star debut.
Throughout the season, Mobley averaged 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 30.5 minutes per game over 71 games. His efforts played a significant role in helping the Cavaliers (64-18) secure the second-best record in franchise history, earning the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
