Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert recently joined an elite group of players with his latest achievement.

Gobert clinched the 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, marking the fourth time in his career and first with the Timberwolves, after previous wins in 2018, 2019, and 2021 while playing for the Utah Jazz.

With this latest accolade, the 31-year-old is now tied for the most Defensive Player of the Year awards in NBA history, alongside Hall of Fame centers Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace.

The 2023-24 season witnessed Gobert's return to form after being hampered by a back injury for much of the previous season, helping the Timberwolves clinch the third seed in the highly competitive Western Conference.

The Frenchman maintained impressive averages of 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 66.2 percent from the field across 76 games this season.

Other NBA big men receive consideration for Defensive Player of the Year award

Gobert did not win the award unanimously, as four other players received first-place votes.

Among them are San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, and Los Angeles Lakers power forward Anthony Davis, who finished second, third, and fourth, respectively.

Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday also received one first-place vote despite finishing sixth behind 5th-place New Orleans Pelicans small forward Herbert Jones.