NEW YORK – Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, the centerpiece of a defense which held opponents to a league-low 91.8 ppg, is the recipient of the 2013-14 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, the NBA announced today.  Noah becomes the first Bulls player since Michael Jordan in 1987-88 to earn the honor.

Noah received 555 of a possible 1,125 points, including 100 first-place votes, from a panel of 125 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.  Indiana’s Roy Hibbert (166 points, eight first-place votes) and the Los Angeles Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan (121 points, eight first-place votes) finished second and third, respectively.  Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.

Noah, who appeared in 80 of Chicago’s 82 games, ranked sixth in the NBA in rebounding (11.3 rpg), 12^th in blocks (1.51 bpg) and added 1.24 steals.  He was one of just three players (Detroit’s Andre Drummond and New Orleans’ Anthony Davis) to average at least 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals.  Behind Noah, the Bulls held opponents to a .430 field goal percentage, second-stingiest in the league.

As part of its support of the Defensive Player of the Year Award, Kia Motors America (KMA) will donate an all-new 2015 Kia Sorento LX CUV to a charity of Noah’s choice.   Kia Motors will present a Sorento to the charity of choice of each of five 2013-14 year-end award winners as part of “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.”  Following this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 31 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA’s prestigious year-end honors began in 2008.

The 2013-14 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.”  The series, currently in its seventh season, is part of a multiyear marketing partnership between KMA and the NBA, and includes five of the league’s most prestigious year-end honors: Most Valuable Player Award, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man Award, Most Improved Player Award, and Rookie of the Year.  The series also includes the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month and the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month during the regular season.  Kia Motors is the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA and the Kia Optima is the league’s Official Vehicle.  For more information on “The Kia NBA Performance Awards” visit www.NBA.com/awards.

For the first time this season, complete media voting results for each NBA annual award will be posted on nba.com/official following the announcement of each winner.

Following are the balloting results for the 2013-14 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.

2013-14 KIA NBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR RESULTS

PLAYER                          TEAM                         1^st Place (5 Pts)                   2^nd Place (3 Pts)            3^rd Place (1 pt)            Total Points

Joakim Noah                   Chicago                                   100                                     17                                    4                              555

Roy Hibbert                       Indiana                                     8                                         36                                    18                            166

DeAndre Jordan                L.A. Clippers                           8                                         23                                    12                            121

Serge Ibaka                        Oklahoma City                         2                                         17                                    18                            79

Andre Iguodala                  Golden State                             1                                         7                                      21                            47

LeBron James                    Miami                                       2                                         5                                      6                              31

Paul George                       Indiana                                     0                                         5                                      15                            30

Anthony Davis                  New Orleans                            1                                         4                                      8                              25

Dwight Howard                Houston                                   1                                         3                                      11                            25

Andrew Bogut                   Golden State                             1                                         1                                      3                              11

Kawhi Leonard                  San Antonio                             0                                         3                                      0                              9

P.J. Tucker                        Phoenix                                    1                                         0                                      1                              6

Tim Duncan                       San Antonio                             0                                         1                                      2                              5

Chris Paul                          L.A. Clippers                           0                                         1                                      2                              5

Trevor Ariza                      Washington                              0                                         1                                      1                              4

Marc Gasol                       Memphis                                  0                                        1                                      1                             4

Patrick Beverley                Houston                                   0                                         0                                      2                              2

ALL-TIME KIA NBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

Season         Winner, Team

1982-83        Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee

1983-84        Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee

1984-85        Mark Eaton, Utah

1985-86        Alvin Robertson, San Antonio

1986-87        Michael Cooper, L.A. Lakers

1987-88        Michael Jordan, Chicago

1988-89        Mark Eaton, Utah

1989-90        Dennis Rodman, Detroit

1990-91        Dennis Rodman, Detroit

1991-92        David Robinson, San Antonio

1992-93        Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston

1993-94        Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston

1994-95        Dikembe Mutombo, Denver

1995-96        Gary Payton, Seattle

1996-97        Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta

1997-98        Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta

1998-99        Alonzo Mourning, Miami

1999-00        Alonzo Mourning, Miami

2000-01        Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia

2001-02        Ben Wallace, Detroit

2002-03        Ben Wallace, Detroit

2003-04        Ron Artest, Indiana

2004-05        Ben Wallace, Detroit

2005-06        Ben Wallace, Detroit

2006-07        Marcus Camby, Denver

2007-08        Kevin Garnett, Boston

2008-09        Dwight Howard, Orlando

2009-10        Dwight Howard, Orlando

2010-11        Dwight Howard, Orlando

2011-12        Tyson Chandler, New York

2012-13        Marc Gasol, Memphis

2013-14        Joakim Noah, Chicago