As Rudy Gobert wins his fourth DPOY award, Big Perk gives a shout to his top 5 NBA defensive players

2023 NBA Draft

Rudy Gobert won his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, tying him with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace as the only players to be named for four. Ironically, the award is named in honor of Hakeem Olajuwon, who (only) won it twice.

Olajuwon, along with Sidney Moncrief, Mark Eaton, Dennis Rodman, Alonzo Mourning, and Kawhi Leonard are all two-time recipients.

Even Dwight Howard won it three times.

Kendrick Perkins celebrated the occasion by unveiling Big Perk’s Big List of Big Time Defenders.

We don’t often do a team v team beef but with this one there were so many participants it only seemed right. When the Kings got good at the turn of the century and challenge the Lakers you had stuff like Shaq declaring LA had supplanted Sacramento as California’s capital. You had Phil Jackson calling Kings fans hicks. You had the refs allegedly choosing sides. You had a Sacramento hotel allegedly poisoning Kobe Bryant via cheeseburger. There was a lot going on, from a lotta angles. Enjoy this beef, and you just have to trust me that it’s not poisoned.

His top 5 included

(5) Gary Payton (1996 DPOY)

(4) Kevin Garnett (2008)

(3) Michael Jordan (1988)

(2) Dennis Rodman (1990, 1991), and

(1) Ben Wallace (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)

No Mutombo…no Olajuwon…no Gobert.

Perkins went so far as to call Ben Wallace the greatest undrafted player in history.

The DPOY is not a science. But from a Spurs perspective, Wemby scored second highest to Gobert. Perhaps voters didn’t want to honor a rookie in that role. Either way, Victor is poised to win it multiple times in his career. Gobert, his fellow countryman, says the award will be in “good hands” when (“if”) Wembanyama is awarded in the future.