Michael Jordan is one of the four players to have won both an MVP and a Defensive Player of the Year award in their career.

David Robinson won the award in the 1991–92 NBA season.

Dwight Howard has won the award three consecutive times in his career.

The National Basketball Association's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season, to the top defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points; and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.^[1][2]

Since its inception, the award has been given to 16 different players. Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace have each won the award four times.^[3] Dwight Howard has won it three times, while Sidney Moncrief, Mark Eaton, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Alonzo Mourning have each won it twice. The most recent award recipient is Tyson Chandler of the New York Knicks.^[4] Michael Jordan,^[5] David Robinson,^[6] Hakeem Olajuwon,^[7] and Kevin Garnett^[2][8] are the only Defensive Player of the Year winners to have won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) during their careers; Jordan and Olajuwon won both awards in the same season.^[5][7] In Olajuwon's case, he is the only one to have also won the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award and the NBA championship in the same season.^[7]

No player trained completely outside the U.S. has won this award. The two winners born outside the country—Mutombo in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Olajuwon in Nigeria—both played U.S. college basketball (Mutombo at Georgetown and Olajuwon at Houston).

Winners[link]

Season	Player	Position	Nationality	Team
1982–83	Moncrief, SidneySidney Moncrief	Guard	United States	Milwaukee Bucks
1983–84	Moncrief, SidneySidney Moncrief (2)	Guard	United States	Milwaukee Bucks
1984–85	Eaton, MarkMark Eaton	Center	United States	Utah Jazz
1985–86	Robertson, AlvinAlvin Robertson	Guard	United States	San Antonio Spurs
1986–87	Cooper, MichaelMichael Cooper[a]	Guard/Forward	United States	Los Angeles Lakers
1987–88	Jordan, MichaelMichael Jordan*[a][b]	Guard	United States	Chicago Bulls
1988–89	Eaton, MarkMark Eaton (2)	Center	United States	Utah Jazz
1989–90	Rodman, DennisDennis Rodman[a]	Forward	United States	Detroit Pistons
1990–91	Rodman, DennisDennis Rodman (2)[a]	Forward	United States	Detroit Pistons
1991–92	Robinson, DavidDavid Robinson*[a][b]	Center	United States	San Antonio Spurs
1992–93	Olajuwon, HakeemHakeem Olajuwon*[a][b]	Center	Nigeria[c]	Houston Rockets
1993–94	Olajuwon, HakeemHakeem Olajuwon* (2)[a][b]	Center	United States[c]	Houston Rockets
1994–95	Mutombo, DikembeDikembe Mutombo	Center	Zaire[d]	Denver Nuggets
1995–96	Payton, GaryGary Payton[a]	Guard	United States	Seattle SuperSonics
1996–97	Mutombo, DikembeDikembe Mutombo (2)	Center	Zaire[d]	Atlanta Hawks
1997–98	Mutombo, DikembeDikembe Mutombo (3)	Center	Democratic Republic of the Congo[d]	Atlanta Hawks
1998–99	Mourning, AlonzoAlonzo Mourning[a]	Center	United States	Miami Heat
1999–00	Mourning, AlonzoAlonzo Mourning (2)[a]	Center	United States	Miami Heat
2000–01	Mutombo, DikembeDikembe Mutombo (4)	Center	Democratic Republic of the Congo[d]	Philadelphia 76ers
2001–02	Wallace, BenBen Wallace^[a]	Center/Forward	United States	Detroit Pistons
2002–03	Wallace, BenBen Wallace^ (2)[a]	Center/Forward	United States	Detroit Pistons
2003–04	Artest, RonRon Artest^[a][e]	Forward/Guard	United States	Indiana Pacers
2004–05	Wallace, BenBen Wallace^ (3)[a]	Center/Forward	United States	Detroit Pistons
2005–06	Wallace, BenBen Wallace^ (4)[a]	Center/Forward	United States	Detroit Pistons
2006–07	Camby, MarcusMarcus Camby^	Center	United States	Denver Nuggets
2007–08	Garnett, KevinKevin Garnett^[a][b]	Forward	United States	Boston Celtics
2008–09	Howard, DwightDwight Howard^	Center	United States	Orlando Magic
2009–10	Howard, DwightDwight Howard^ (2)	Center	United States	Orlando Magic
2010–11	Howard, DwightDwight Howard^ (3)	Center	United States	Orlando Magic
2011–12	Chandler, TysonTyson Chandler^[a]	Center	United States	New York Knicks

Notes[link]

See also[link]

• NBA Development League Defensive Player of the Year Award

References[link]

General

Specific

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. The awards with the "player of the year" phrasing include these.

In association football, this award is held on both an international and national level.

• FIFA awards a worldwide men's and women's FIFA World Player of the Year, football's highest individual honour.
• English football leagues honour the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the PFA Young Player of the Year.
• Scotland has similar awards, the Scottish PFA Players' Player of the Year and the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year.
• Many organizations award "footballer of the year" awards. Among them are the European Footballer of the Year, African Footballer of the Year, and in English football the Football Writers' Association's FWA Footballer of the Year.

In American basketball, several such awards are given:

• The Oscar Robertson Trophy is awarded to the college basketball player of the year by the United States Basketball Writers Association.
• The Naismith College Player of the Year award is given to the best men's college player and the best women's college player.
• The John R. Wooden Award award is given by the Los Angeles Athletic Club to the best men's college player and the best women's college player.

• The National Collegiate Athletic Association gives the Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award to the Division I men's basketball player who exemplifies the best character.

• The National Basketball Association awards an NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
• The Women's National Basketball Association awards a WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

In baseball, publications sometimes issue awards with this name:

• The Sporting News awards a Major League Baseball player the TSN Player of the Year Award. This almost always goes to a position player, since this magazine also has separate awards for the best pitcher in each Major League.
• Similarly, Baseball America and USA Today designates their respective Minor League Player of the Year Award.

In lacrosse, two awards are given with this name, the Major League Lacrosse Offensive player of the Year Award and the Major League Lacrosse Defensive player of the Year Award.

In cricket, awards for the leading international player are the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World and the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

In ice hockey, in the United Kingdom the Player of the Year Trophy is awarded by Ice Hockey Journalists UK.

See also[link]

• Athlete of the Year

Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol during EuroBasket 2011
No. 33 – Memphis Grizzlies
Center
Personal information
Born	(1985-01-29) January 29, 1985 (age 27) Barcelona, Spain
Nationality	Spanish
High school	Lausanne Collegiate School
Listed height	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight	265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	2007 / Round: 2 / Pick: 48th overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Pro career	2004–present
Career history
FC Barcelona (2004–2006) Akasvayu Girona (2006–2008) Memphis Grizzlies (2008–present)
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Star (2012) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2009) Spanish League Champion 2004 Spanish League MVP 2008
Stats at NBA.com

Marc Gasol Sáez (born January 29, 1985) is a Spanish professional basketball player who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted in the second round, 48th overall, by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2007 NBA Draft. He stands 7'1" tall and is the younger brother of current Lakers power forward Pau Gasol.

Early years[link]

While he spent almost all of his childhood in the Barcelona area, he moved as a teenager with his parents to the Memphis suburb of Germantown, Tennessee in 2001, after his older brother Pau Gasol was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and then had his rights traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, who finalized their move from Vancouver just after the draft. Gasol played high school basketball at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis.^[1] He was named Division 2's Mr. Basketball in 2003 following a senior season in which he averaged 26 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks per game.^[2] In 2008, Lausanne retired Gasol's #33 jersey. ^[3] His parents still live in Germantown.^[4]

Pro career[link]

Europe[link]

After his graduation from Lausanne, Gasol returned to his home country of Spain to play in the Liga ACB. He originally played with FC Barcelona before moving to Akasvayu Girona, where he played two seasons and was named the 2008 ACB Most Valuable Player.

NBA[link]

Gasol was drafted in the second round, 48th overall, by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2007 NBA Draft. On February 1, 2008, his draft rights were traded by the Lakers to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a trade package that included his older brother, Pau, who went to the Lakers. No other instance is known where an NBA player was traded for his brother. On June 23, 2008 he signed a contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.^[5]

Gasol met his rookie season with success, scoring 10-plus points in 10 straight games on 49-for-84 shooting in October 2008.^[6] Gasol broke the franchise rookie record of the highest field goal percentage at the end of the season by shooting 53%. The previous record was held by his older brother Pau, who shot 51.8% from the field his rookie season.^[7]

2010-2011 season

He averaged 11.7 points and 7.0 rebounds while starting 81 games in the regular season.^[8] In the 2011 playoffs Gasol averaged 15 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists, helping the Grizzlies upset top-seeded San Antonio Spurs before pushing Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the semifinals. He finished second in rebounds per game and third with 2.15 blocks per game in the playoffs.^[8] Gasol’s exceptional work raised up his value even more. The Memphis Grizzlies extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Marc Gasol, giving them the chance to match any offer he might get during the offseason.^[8]

2011-2012 season

In December 2011, Marc Gasol signed a four year $58 million extension with the Memphis Grizzlies ^[9] During the week of January 16-22, Gasol led the Grizzlies to a perfect 4-0 record, averaging 19.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 blocks. Gasol reached three point-rebound double-doubles in those four games, earning him Western Conference Player of the Week honors. ^[10] Marc entered his first All-Star game as a reserve player, beating out his older brother Pau.

Spanish national team[link]

Medal record
Competitor for  Spain
Men's Basketball
Summer Olympics
Silver	2008 Beijing	National Team
FIBA World Championship
Gold	2006 Japan	National Team
FIBA European Championship
Silver	2007 Spain	National Team
Gold	2009 Poland	National Team
Gold	2011 Lithuania	National Team

Gasol was part of the Spanish national basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and the silver medal at the 2007 FIBA European Championship. He was also a part of the Spanish team that won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics Basketball Tournament and the gold medal at the 2009 FIBA European Championships.

Awards and accomplishments[link]

USA[link]

• Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Division 2 "Mr. Basketball" (2003)
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2008–09)
• NBA All-Star (2012)

Spain[link]

• Won the Spanish Championship (2004)
• Won the Spanish Supercup (2004)
• Won the EuroChallenge Championship (2007)
• Won the Catalan Tournament (2007)
• Spanish ACB League MVP (2008)

Spanish national team[link]

• 2006 FIBA World Championship: Gold Medal
• 2007 FIBA European Championship: Silver Medal
• 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament: Silver Medal
• 2009 FIBA European Championship: Gold Medal
• 2011 FIBA European Championship: Gold Medal

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Marc Gasol on Facebook (Spanish)
• Marc Gasol's MARCA Blog (Spanish)
• NBA.com Profile
• Euroleague.net Profile
• Spanish League Profile (Spanish)
• 2010 FIBA World Championship Profile
• 2008 Olympics Profile
• The Other Gasol Article

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marc Gasol

Joakim Noah

No. 13 – Chicago Bulls
Center
Personal information
Born	(1985-02-25) February 25, 1985 (age 27) New York City, New York, U.S.
High school	United Nations International School Poly Prep Country Day School The Lawrenceville School
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
College	Florida (2004–2007)
NBA Draft	2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career	2007–present
Career history
2007–present	Chicago Bulls
Career highlights and awards
2× NCAA Championship (2006, 2007) NCAA Final Four MOP (2006) Second-team All-American (2007) NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2011)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's basketball Competitor for  France FIBA European Championship Silver 2011 Lithuania Team

Joakim Simon Noah^[1] ( /ˈdʒoʊ.ə.kɪm/ JOH-ə-kim;^[2] born February 25, 1985) is a professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in New York City to a Swedish mother and French father, he holds American, Swedish and French citizenship.^[3][4] He played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was a key member of the Florida Gators' starting five that won two consecutive NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments in 2006 and 2007. In 2007, the Chicago Bulls selected Noah in the first round (ninth pick overall) in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Early life[link]

Noah was born in New York City in 1985 to French singer and former professional tennis player Yannick Noah, and Cécilia Rodhe, Miss Sweden 1978. His paternal grandfather Zacharie Noah was a Cameroonian professional soccer player, winner of the Coupe de France in 1961.^[5] Noah lived in Paris, France from 1988 to 1998 and returned to New York City at age 13.^[6][7]

He competed on basketball teams at several high schools: the United Nations International School, Poly Prep, and The Lawrenceville School.^[8]

College career[link]

Noah during Midnight Madness with Sha Brooks during a 3-point shootout (October 13, 2006)

During his freshman year at Florida (2004–2005), he played sparingly, clocking in just 10.3 minutes per game, and averaged only 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest.

Noah made significant improvements during his sophomore year (2005–2006), leading his team in points (14.2 ppg) and blocks (2.4 bpg), while ranking second in rebounds (7.1 rpg) behind teammate Al Horford (7.6 rpg). Almost unknown at the beginning of the season, Noah's draft stock improved continually. By the end of the NCAA tournament he was considered by many to be the top college prospect in the country, and had he declared for the 2006 NBA Draft he very likely would have been taken first or second. However, Noah, along with teammates Al Horford and Corey Brewer announced at their national championship celebration that they would return for their junior seasons.^[1] Noah and the Gators would go on to repeat as champions.

2006 NCAA Tournament[link]

Noah was named the Most Outstanding Player (MOP)^[9] of the NCAA Tournament's Minneapolis Regional after leading the Gators over top-seeded Villanova in the final game with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks. On April 3, 2006, Noah led the Gators to a 73–57 win over UCLA for the school's first NCAA Basketball Championship, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. In the finale, he posted 16 points, 9 rebounds, and a championship game record 6 blocks.^[9]

Professional career[link]

Early career[link]

The Chicago Bulls selected Noah as the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Noah and his teammates at Florida, Corey Brewer and Al Horford, became the highest picked trio from the same college in the history of the NBA. Horford was chosen third overall by the Atlanta Hawks, and Brewer was chosen seventh overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. On November 6, 2007, Noah made his regular season debut off the bench after missing the first three games with a sprained ankle. He posted 2 points and 4 rebounds. Noah averaged 6.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during the 2008–09 regular season.

Noah blocking a shot against the Washington Wizards.

Noah played a key role in game 6 of the 2009 Eastern Conference first round playoff series between the Bulls and the Boston Celtics. In the final minute of the game's third overtime period, with the score tied at 123–123, he stole the ball from Paul Pierce and dribbled down the court (unusual for a center) for a dunk, drawing Pierce's sixth foul in the process. The Bulls went on to win the game 128–127,^[10] though they would lose the series in Game 7.

2009–10 season[link]

During the 2009–10 season, Noah averaged 10.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. He only played 64 games due to injury, though. The Bulls once again made the playoffs securing the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, Noah averaged 14.8 points per game and 13.0 rebounds, but the Bulls lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round in five games.

2010–11 season[link]

On October 4, 2010, Noah signed a five-year, $60 million contract extension with the Bulls.^[11] On December 15, 2010, the Bulls announced that due to ligament damage in Noah's hand, he would have surgery and miss 8 to 10 weeks. Noah was averaging 14 points and 11.7 rebounds in the 24 games prior to his injury. He returned to action in the 55th game of the season on February 23 after recuperating from right thumb surgery. He scored 7 points and had 16 rebounds in just over 24 minutes.^[12] He returned to the inactive list for games 74, 75 and 76.

2011–12 season[link]

On February 22, 2012, Noah recorded his first career triple-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. It was the first triple-double by a Bulls center since Artis Gilmore recorded one in 1977.^[13]

International play[link]

Noah plays for the French national basketball team, although he also could have been eligible for the American or Swedish team.^[14] "The French National team is definitely something that has been in my dreams for a while," he said.^[15] He was officially made a French citizen on April 11, 2007.^[14] Noah speaks fluent French.^[16]

Noah made his first appearance for the French national basketball team on August 9, 2011 in the friendly match against Spain where he scored 6 points with 3 rebounds.

Noah then joined the French team at EuroBasket 2011.

Player profile[link]

Noah is known for his high energy play especially on the defensive end. He is a tenacious rebounder on both ends of the floor and is a capable ball-handler and passer at the center position. His unorthodox shooting style has been the subject of much criticism. However, Noah has improved his free throw shooting and is an effective finisher close to the basket.

Personal life[link]

On May 25, 2008, Noah was arrested for having an open container of alcohol and misdemeanor possession of marijuana in Gainesville, Florida. A few hours later, Noah was also cited for driving with a suspended license and not wearing a seat belt. He was sentenced to six months probation, a $200 fine for the marijuana and open container charges, and a $206 traffic fine.^[17]

Noah divides his time between Chicago and Florida during the off-season.

With his mother, Noah runs the Noah's Arc Foundation.^[18]

Awards[link]

NCAA[link]

• 2006 Associated Press (AP) All-SEC First Team^[19]
• Named an Honorable Mention All-American by AP.
• Most Outstanding Player in the 2006 Final Four^[20]
• NCAA Men's Division 1 basketball champion – 2006,2007

NBA[link]

• 2011 NBA All-Defensive Second Team

Sponsorship[link]

Joakim Noah is sponsored by Le Coq Sportif and currently wears their basketball shoes. Noah is also sponsored by the BSN supplement brand.

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	College basketball portal

• 2005–06 Florida Gators men's basketball team
• 2006–07 Florida Gators men's basketball team
• Florida Gators
• List of Florida Gators basketball players

References[link]

External links[link]

• Joakim Noah at NBA.com
• Official website
• Joakim Noah's channel on YouTube
• Joakim Noah on Facebook
• DraftExpress profile
• Florida Gators bio