Evan Mobley (born June 18, 2001) is an American professionalbasketball player for theCleveland Cavaliers of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for theUSC Trojans and was selected third overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the2021 NBA draft. In the 2024–25 season, he was named anAll-Star for the first time and named theNBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Mobley, along with his older brotherIsaiah 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 feet 4 inches (1.93 m).[1] Mobley began playing high school basketball as a freshman at Rancho Christian School inTemecula, California. In his first three years, he was teammates with Isaiah, a five-star recruit in the 2019 class.[2]
As a junior at Rancho Christian, Mobley averaged 19.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game. He was named CaliforniaGatorade Player of the Year andThe Press-Enterprise player of the year.[3][4] 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, joiningJrue Holiday as the award's only two-time winners.[5] Mobley was namedMorgan Wootten National Player of the Year.[6] He was also selected to play in theMcDonald's All-American Game,Jordan Brand Classic andNike Hoop Summit, but all three games were canceled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[7]
Mobley was considered a consensus five-starrecruit and one of the top three players in the 2020 recruiting class and at one point ahead ofCade Cunningham .[8] On August 5, 2019, he committed to play college basketball forUSC over offers fromUCLA andWashington, among other majorNCAA Division I programs.[9] Mobley became one of the highest-ranked players to join the program.
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan Mobley C | Murrieta, CA | Rancho Christian School (CA) | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Aug 5, 2019 | |
Recruit ratings:Rivals:  247Sports: ESPN: (97) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Rivals: 4 247Sports: 3 ESPN: 3 | ||||||
Sources:
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In his college debut for USC on November 25, 2020, Mobley scored 21 points and had nine rebounds in a 95–87 overtime win againstCalifornia Baptist.[10] On March 11, 2021, at thePac-12 tournament quarterfinals, he posted a career-high 26 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in a 91–85 double overtime victory overUtah.[11] In a 72–70 semifinals loss toColorado, Mobley scored 26 points for a second time, while recording nine rebounds and five blocks.[12] As a freshman, he averaged 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 2.4 assists per game.[13] Mobley was named thePac-12 Player of the Year,Defensive Player of the Year andFreshman of the Year.[14] He became the second player from a major conference to win the trio of awards, joiningAnthony Davis of theSoutheastern Conference in2012.[15] On April 16, 2021, Mobley declared for the2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[13] Mobley was seen by many as the second best prospect in the2021 NBA draft behindCade Cunningham.[16]
Mobley was selected third overall in the2021 NBA draft by theCleveland Cavaliers.[17] On August 3, 2021, he signed with the Cavaliers.[18] On August 8, 2021, Mobley made his summer league debut in an 84–76 loss against theHouston Rockets where he posted 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks in 28 minutes.[19] On October 20, he made his NBA debut, putting up 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a 132–121 loss to theMemphis Grizzlies.[20] On November 15, Mobley suffered a sprained right elbow in a 98–92 loss to theBoston Celtics.[21] Mobley was named the NBA Eastern Rookie of the Month for games played in October/November.[22] On December 8, Mobley became the first Cleveland rookie sinceLeBron James in March 2004 to record five blocks in an NBA game.[23]
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 (behindScottie Barnes of theToronto Raptors) in win shares (5.2) andvalue over replacement player (1.5). Alongside All-Star centerJarrett 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 CavalierDarius Garland toldThe Ringer's Rob Mahoney: "He does everything for us. Defensive-wise, offensive-wise. He's a 7-foot unicorn."[24] Mobley finished as the runner-up toScottie Barnes in voting for theNBA Rookie of the Year. The 15-point difference was the smallest voting margin in 19 years since the award's voting format began in 2002–03.[25]
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 theMilwaukee Bucks. 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,Alex English (twice) andGeorge Gervin are the others.[26] On April 17, Mobley finished third in voting for theDefensive Player of the Year.[27] On May 9, Mobley was named to theNBA All-Defensive First Team[28] He finished the season as the NBA leader in dunks, with a total of 214.[29] 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 withoutLeBron James on the roster.[30]
On November 28, 2023, Mobley recorded 17 points, 19 rebounds and 7 blocks in a 128–105 win over theAtlanta Hawks during the team's finalNBA Cup matchup, setting a season high in blocks and a career high in rebounds.[31] On December 15, the Cavaliers announced that Mobley would undergoarthroscopic 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.[32]
On May 10, 2024, in Game 2 of theEastern 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 theBoston Celtics.[33] 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.[34]
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 theCharlotte Hornets. He became the second NBA player under the age of 25 (afterKevin Durant) to record 40-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, 3-plus blocks and 5-plus three-pointers made in a game.[35][36]
On January 30, 2025, Mobley was named as reserve for the2025 NBA All-Star Game, his first selection.[37] On April 24, Mobley was namedNBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2024–25 season, becoming the first player in franchise history to win the award.[38][39] 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%.[40] On May 23, Mobley was named to theAll-NBA Second Team, marking his first career All-NBA selection.[41]
Mobley played for theUnited States at the2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup inArgentina. In seven games, he averaged 9.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, helping his team win the gold medal.[42][43] Mobley joined theUnited States for the2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup inHeraklion, 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.[44]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Cleveland | 69 | 69 | 33.8 | .508 | .250 | .663 | 8.3 | 2.5 | .8 | 1.7 | 15.0 |
| 2022–23 | Cleveland | 79 | 79 | 34.4 | .554 | .216 | .674 | 9.0 | 2.8 | .8 | 1.5 | 16.2 |
| 2023–24 | Cleveland | 50 | 50 | 30.6 | .580 | .373 | .719 | 9.4 | 3.2 | .9 | 1.4 | 15.7 |
| 2024–25 | Cleveland | 71 | 71 | 30.5 | .557 | .370 | .725 | 9.3 | 3.2 | .9 | 1.6 | 18.5 |
| Career | 269 | 269 | 32.5 | .548 | .315 | .694 | 9.0 | 2.9 | .8 | 1.6 | 16.4 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 8.0 | .750 | .000 | — | .0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 6.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Cleveland | 5 | 5 | 37.5 | .458 | .000 | .625 | 10.0 | 2.0 | .6 | 1.2 | 9.8 |
| 2024 | Cleveland | 12 | 12 | 35.2 | .555 | .278 | .694 | 9.3 | 2.3 | .8 | 2.2 | 16.0 |
| 2025 | Cleveland | 8 | 8 | 32.1 | .586 | .452 | .840 | 8.1 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 17.1 |
| Career | 25 | 25 | 34.6 | .548 | .380 | .739 | 9.0 | 2.0 | .9 | 1.6 | 15.1 | |
| * | Led Division 1 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | USC | 33* | 33* | 33.9 | .578 | .300 | .694 | 8.7 | 2.4 | .8 | 2.9 | 16.4 |
Mobley's father, Eric, played college basketball forCal Poly Pomona andPortland and played professionally in China, Indonesia, Mexico and Portugal.[45] He later coachedAmateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for 11 years. In 2018, he was hired as assistant basketball coach for USC.[46] Mobley's older brother,Isaiah, who also played for USC, was selected by the Cavaliers in the second round of the2022 NBA draft, rejoining his brother.[47] His mother, Nicol, is anelementary school teacher.[1] Mobley grew up with three foster siblings, including a Chineseexchange student named Johnny.[2]
In July, Mobley signed a five-year, $224.2 million contract extension with the Cavaliers. Included in the language of the deal was an increase in Mobley's salary from 25% of the salary cap to 30% if Mobley won Defensive Player of the Year, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks. Mobley's contract extension now tops out at $269 million.
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