Evan Mobley (born June 18, 2001) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

and was selected third overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the

2021 NBA draft The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. The NBA draft returned to Brooklyn after 2020 NBA draft, the pre ...

. In the 2024–2025 season, he was named an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

for the first time and named the

NBA Defensive Player of the Year The NBA Defensive Player of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and b ...

Early life

Mobley, along with his older brother

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "Yahweh is salvation"; also known as Isaias or Esaias from ) was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah as "the prophet" ...

began playing basketball from an early age under the guidance of their father, Eric, a former basketball player. Evan was initially reluctant to play basketball but became more interested in the sport in eighth grade, when he stood 6'4. Mobley began playing high school basketball as a freshman at Rancho Christian School in

Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corpora ...

. In his first three years, he was teammates with Isaiah, a five-star recruit in the 2019 class. As a junior at Rancho Christian, Mobley averaged 19.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.7 blocks per game. He was named California

Gatorade Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, boys football, boys and girl ...

and ''

The Press-Enterprise ''The Press-Enterprise'' is a paid daily newspaper published by Digital First Media that serves the Inland Empire in Southern California. Headquartered in downtown Riverside, California, it is the primary newspaper for Riverside County, with h ...

'' player of the year. In his senior season, Mobley averaged 20.5 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5.2 blocks, and 4.6 assists per game, leading Rancho Christian to a 22–8 record. He repeated as California Gatorade Player of the Year, joining

Jrue Holiday Jrue Randall Holiday ( ; born June 12, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins before being selecte ...

as the award's only two-time winners. Mobley was named Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year. He was also selected to play in the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school all star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys and girls in the senior class. In 2015, a girl's game was introduced. Th ...

, and

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, Inc., Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international players. The players demons ...

, but all three games were canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Mobley was considered a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top three players in the 2020 recruiting class and at one point ahead of

Cade Cunningham Cade Parker Cunningham (born September 25, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Bowie High School (Arlington, Texas), Bowie High School in his homet ...

. On August 5, 2019, he committed to play college basketball for

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

over offers from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, among other major

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

programs. Mobley became one of the highest-ranked players to join the program.

College career

In his college debut for USC on November 25, 2020, Mobley scored 21 points and had nine rebounds in a 95–87 overtime win against California Baptist. On March 11, 2021, at the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals, he posted a career-high 26 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in a 91–85 double overtime victory over

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

. In a 72–70 semifinals loss to

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, Mobley scored 26 points for a second time, while recording nine rebounds and five blocks. As a freshman, he averaged 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 2.4 assists per game. Mobley was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. He became the second player from a major conference to win the trio of awards, joining

Anthony Davis Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993), nicknamed "AD" and "the Brow", is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Davis, a Power forward (basketball), power f ...

of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. On April 16, 2021, Mobley declared for the

, forgoing his remaining college eligibility. Mobley was seen by many as the second best prospect in the

behind

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2021–present)

All-Rookie honors (2021–2022)

Mobley was selected third overall in the

by the

. On August 3, 2021, he signed with the Cavaliers. On August 8, 2021, Mobley made his summer league debut in a 84–76 loss against the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

where he posted 12 points, five rebounds, and three blocks in 28 minutes. On October 20, he made his NBA debut, putting up 17 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in a 132–121 loss to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

. On November 15, Mobley suffered a sprained right elbow in a 98–92 loss to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. Mobley was named the NBA Eastern Rookie of the Month for games played in October/November. On December 8, Mobley became the first Cleveland rookie since

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

in March 2004 to record five blocks in an NBA game. Starting all the 69 games he played, Mobley finished the season averaging 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 blocks, and .8 steals per game, while shooting .508, .250, and .663 from the field, the three-point line, and on free throws, respectively, on 33.8 minutes per game. He led rookies in both rebounds and blocks per game, while ranking fifth for points per game. He was the second best rookie (behind

Scottie Barnes Scott Wayne Barnes Jr. (born August 1, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles men's basketball, Flo ...

of the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

) in win shares (5.2) and value over replacement player (1.5). Alongside All-Star center Jarrett Allen, Mobley led Cleveland from a .306 winning percentage and the league's sixth-worst defense to a .537 winning percentage and the league's fifth best defense for efficiency. Of Mobley, fellow Cavalier Darius Garland told The Ringer's Rob Mahoney: "He does everything for us. Defensive-wise, offensive-wise. He's a 7-foot unicorn." Mobley finished as the runner-up to

in voting for the

NBA Rookie of the Year The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottlieb T ...

. The 15-point difference was the smallest voting margin in 19 years since the award's voting format began in 2002–03.

First All-Defense selection and playoffs (2022–2023)

On January 21, 2023, Mobley scored a then career-high 38 points on 19-of-27 shooting from the field, along with nine rebounds and three assists in a 114–102 win over the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. He became only the fourth player since 1979, when the 3-point line was adopted, to score at least 38 points without making a free throw or 3-pointer.

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

Alex English Alexander English (born January 5, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and businessman. A South Carolina native, English played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball, South Carolina ...

(twice) and George Gervin are the others. On April 17, Mobley finished third in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year. On May 9, Mobley was named to the

NBA All-Defensive First Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in tw ...

He finished the season as the NBA leader in dunks, with a total of 214. Mobley helped the Cavaliers earn the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, securing home-court advantage in the first round and achieving their first 50-win season since 1993 without

on the roster.

Knee surgery and return (2023–2024)

On November 28, 2023, Mobley recorded 17 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 blocks in a 128–105 win over the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

during the team's final NBA Cup matchup, setting a season-high in blocks and a career-high in rebounds. On December 15, the Cavaliers announced that Mobley would undergo

arthroscopic Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the j ...

left knee surgery to treat discomfort in his knee that had sidelined him for the team's previous four games, estimating that he would be out for recovery for approximately six to eight weeks. On May 10, 2024, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Mobley scored a then playoff career-high 21 points, along with 10 rebounds and a playoff career-high 5 assists in a 118–94 victory over the

. Cleveland would go on to lose to Boston in five games despite Mobley's playoff career-high 33-point outing in the 113–98 close-out loss in Game 5.

First DPOY, All-Star, and All-NBA Honors (2024–2025)

On December 7, 2024, Mobley scored a career-high 41 points, along with 10 rebounds and three blocks on 16-of-23 shooting from the field and a career-high 6-of-8 shooting from the three-point line in a 116–102 win over the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

. He became the second NBA player under the age of 25 (after

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant has won two List of NBA champions, NBA champ ...

) to record 40+ points, 10+ rebounds, 3+ blocks, and 5+ three-pointers made in a game. On January 30, 2025, Mobley was named as reserve for the

2025 NBA All-Star Game The 2025 NBA All-Star Championship was an all-star single-elimination basketball tournament played on February 16, 2025, during the National Basketball Association's 2024–25 season. It was the 74th edition of the NBA All-Star Game. It was host ...

, his first selection. On April 24, 2025, Mobley was named

for the 2024–25 season, becoming the first player in franchise history to win the award. It was reported that due to winning Defensive Player of the Year, Mobley would receive an extra $45 million in his contract, with his share of the salary cap being bumped from 25% to 30%.

National team career

Mobley played for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. In seven games, he averaged 9.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, helping his team win the gold medal. Mobley joined the

for the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in

Heraklion Heraklion or Herakleion ( ; , , ), sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in G ...

, Greece, but he was limited to playing two games and a total of seven minutes in the tournament due to back spasms. His team won the gold medal despite his absence.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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, 79 , , 79 , , 34.4 , , .554 , , .216 , , .674 , , 9.0 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , 1.5 , , 16.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 50 , , 50 , , 30.6 , , .580 , , .373 , , .719 , , 9.4 , , 3.2 , , .9 , , 1.4 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , 71 , , 30.5 , , .557 , , .370 , , .725 , , 9.3 , , 3.2 , , .9 , , 1.6 , , 18.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 269 , , 269 , , 32.5 , , .548 , , .315 , , .694 , , 9.0 , , 2.9 , , .8 , , 1.6 , , 16.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .750 , , .000 , , , , .0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 6.0

Playoffs

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, 5 , , 5 , , 37.5 , , .458 , , .000 , , .625 , , 10.0 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , 1.2 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

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, 12 , , 12 , , 35.2 , , .555 , , .278 , , .694 , , 9.3 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , 2.2 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

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, 8 , , 8 , , 32.1 , , .586 , , .452 , , .840 , , 8.1 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 17.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 25 , , 25 , , 34.6 , , .548 , , .380 , , .739 , , 9.0 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , 1.6 , , 15.1

College

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Personal life

Mobley's father, Eric, played college basketball for Cal Poly Pomona and

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

and played professionally in China, Indonesia, Mexico and Portugal. He later coached

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) basketball for 11 years. In 2018, he was hired as assistant basketball coach for USC. Mobley's older brother

also played for USC. He was selected by the Cavaliers in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft, rejoining his brother. His mother, Nicol, is an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

teacher. Mobley grew up with three foster siblings, including a Chinese

exchange Exchange or exchanged may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Exchange (film), or ''Deep Trap'', 2015 South Korean psychological thriller * Exchanged (film), 2019 Peruvian fantasy comedy * Exchange (TV program), 2021 Sou ...

student named Johnny.

References

External links

USC Trojans bioUSA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mobley, Evan 2001 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from San Diego Centers (basketball) Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Cleveland Cavaliers players McDonald's High School All-Americans NBA All-Stars Power forwards USC Trojans men's basketball players