Mobley received 35 first-place votes, 10 more than second-place finisher Dyson Daniels of the Hawks. The Warriors' Draymond Green came in third, while the Thunder's Luguentz Dort, Rockets ' Amen Thompson, Clippers ' Ivica Zubac and Bucks ' Giannis Antetokounmpo also received first-place votes.

The NBA was set to announce this season's defensive player of the year on Thursday night, with Atlanta's Dyson Daniels, Golden State's Draymond Green and Cleveland's Evan Mobley the three finalists. Green won the award in 2017 and is bidding to become the 11th player in NBA history to win it at least twice.

Evan Mobley is the first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner in Cavs history. The USC alum grabbed an award that legends like LeBron James, Brad Daugherty, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cliff Robinson, Larry Nance, Hot Rod Williams, and others could not secure during their runs with the team.