Rudy Gobert Wins 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award over Wemby, Adebayo

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert made history Tuesday, as he became just the third player to be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for a fourth time.

It was not an especially close vote with Gobert earning 72 first-place votes over Victor Wembanyama, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis:

Gobert, 31, won the award three times during his nine-year run with the Utah Jazz, taking DPOY honors in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

The Jazz traded Gobert to the T-Wolves in 2022, and after a disappointing 2022 season in Minnesota, the Frenchman bounced back in a big way this season en route to being voted the 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Gobert averaged 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game this season, which represented a significant upgrade from 2022-23 when he put up just 11.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest, the latter of which represented his worst production since his rookie year.

Perhaps most importantly, Gobert was a key cog for one of the best teams in the NBA, as the Timberwolves finished third in the Western Conference with a 56-26 record.

Just one year ago, the T-Wolves went 42-40 and barely reached the playoffs as the eighth seed, getting thrashed 4-1 by the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the first round.

Gobert's frontcourt mate, Karl-Anthony Towns, missed significant time due to injury for a second consecutive season, playing in 62 games this season.

Last season, Towns was limited to only 29 games, but being the clear leader of the frontcourt wasn't a position Gobert thrived in.

The three-time All-Star rose to the occasion this season, though, and was back to looking like the player who dominated the paint for so many years in Utah.

While Gobert established himself as the clear DPOY favorite, he did have some competition in the form of rookie No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, who was every bit as good as advertised for the San Antonio Spurs.

Wembanyama averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals and a league-leading 3.6 blocks per game, but he did so for one of the worst teams in the league, which likely contributed to him falling short in his DPOY quest.

Now, Gobert joins Hall of Famers Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo as the only four-time Defensive Players of the Year in NBA history.