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On Thursday, the NBA announced the winner of the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year award and, adhering to tradition, also made public the full voting results.
Although the Los Angeles Clippers advocated for Ivica Zubac during the late stages of the 2024-25 Regular Season, the 28-year-old Croatian center did not make it to the finalist list. Instead, he was recognized among the three nominees for the Kia NBA Most Improved Player award.
Among the 100 global media members who voted for the Defensive Player of the Year, Zubac received four first-place votes, four second-place votes, and three third-place votes, totaling 34 points and ranking him sixth overall.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, a former recipient of the award, garnered five points from a first-place vote, placing him eighth overall as the star player for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Similarly, Belgian player Toumani Camara, who gained strong backing from the Portland Trail Blazers, finished in ninth place with just four points, accruing one second-place vote and one third-place vote.
The only player with a single point was Frenchman Rudy Gobert from the Minnesota Timberwolves, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers emerged as the awardee of the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, amassing 35 first-place votes, 30 second-place votes, and 20 third-place votes, which amounted to 285 total points.
His fellow finalists included Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks, who secured second place with 197 points, and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, who came in third with 154 points.
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