Los Angeles - Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic is the NBA's new secretary of defense in a landslide decision.

Howard was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday, after becoming the fifth player in league history to finish tops in rebounds and blocked shots.

"To be the defensive player of the year at 23 is remarkable," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "To be a great defensive player usually comes later in a career. And he still has so much room for improvement."

The three-time All-Star selection received 542 points, including 105 first-place votes from a panel of 119 sportswriters and broadcasters, to easily outdistance the rest of the field.

Cleveland's LeBron James, the favourite to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award, finished second with 148 points, while Miami's Dwyane Wade was third with 90 points.

En route to leading the Magic to its second consecutive Southeast Division crown, the 6-foot-11 Howard joined a select circle of big men who won the rebound and blocked shots categories in the same season, since the league began keeping the statistic.

The group consists of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (LA Lakers 1975-76), Bill Walton (Portland Trail Blazers 1976-77), Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston, 1989-90) and Ben Wallace (Detroit, 2001-02).

"It's something you got to want to do," Howard said. "It's all about winning, and I try to have that mentality of protecting the paint." (dpa)