Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama makes NBA history with first career Defensive Player of the Year award

San Antonio Spurs prima large man, Victor Wembanyama, was unanimously named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season, and helium did truthful successful historical fashion.

Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 phenom, became the youngest subordinate to ever triumph the prestigious grant astatine conscionable 22 years old. Even better, helium is the archetypal to ever triumph the grant unanimously, and for bully reason.

Wembanyama was a occupation with, and without, the shot successful his hands this season.

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San Antonio Spurs guardant Victor Wembanyama plays during the 2nd fractional against the Denver Nuggets astatine Ball Arena successful Denver, Colo., connected April 4, 2026. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)

He earned each 100 first-place votes for the award, with Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren finishing with 76 second-place votes. Detroit Pistons defender Ausar Thompson finished successful 3rd spot erstwhile the ballots were tallied.

The next-closest subordinate to getting a unanimously triumph for Defensive Player of the Year was Ben Wallace during the 2001-02 season, wherever helium finished 4 votes shy successful the 120-person panel.

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While Wembanyama is besides a finalist for the league’s MVP award, this 1 successful peculiar is thing he’s been looking to adhd to his vocation trophy collection.

Wembanyama was a rookie successful 2024 erstwhile Rudy Gobert, his chap French compatriot, won his 4th Defensive Player of the Year award. However, Wembanyama, the archetypal wide prime by the Spurs, said Gobert’s days arsenic the champion defender successful the league would beryllium coming to an extremity astatine immoderate point.

He expected it to beryllium by his hand. And though helium wasn’t capable to triumph grant past play aft lone playing 36 games, Wembanyama made definite to travel done connected his connection this year.

"I cognize that Rudy has a precise bully accidental of winning it this year, and it would beryllium deserved," Wembanyama said astatine the time, per ESPN.  "Let him triumph it now, due to the fact that aft that, it’s nary longer his turn."

Wembanyama’s prediction came existent aft helium led the NBA successful blocks with 197 connected the season, marking the 2nd consecutive twelvemonth he’s been atop that class connected the league’s stat sheet. He besides notched 66 steals and finished with a 110.4 antiaircraft rating, which was second-best successful the NBA.

San Antonio Spurs guardant Victor Wembanyama plays during the archetypal fractional against the Dallas Mavericks astatine Frost Bank Center successful San Antonio, Texas, connected Apr. 10, 2026. (Scott Wachter/Imagn Images)

"Everything that [he’s] achieved truthful acold has been earned and ne'er given," Spurs teammate Keldon Johnson said of Wembanyama. "He’s 1 of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around. He takes his trade precise earnestly and I consciousness similar this is conscionable a tiny token of what’s to travel for Victor. He’s a peculiar subordinate connected the tribunal and an adjacent much peculiar idiosyncratic disconnected the court."

Of course, defending isn’t each astir forcing turnovers, arsenic Wembanyama utilized his gangly stature to haul successful the second-most antiaircraft rebounds successful the NBA (9.5), which was lone down Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic. Jokic and Wembanyama articulation the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander arsenic the 3 MVP finalist, with the second hoping to repetition aft rather the 2024-25 campaign.

Wembanyama has developed into the beingness connected some ends of the tribunal the Spurs ever envisioned erstwhile they won the NBA Draft lottery. Spurs seasoned defender De’Aaron Fox knows that players won’t adjacent sprout the shot erstwhile they spot him successful beforehand of them.

Victor Wembanyama (1) of the San Antonio Spurs stands connected the tribunal during their crippled against the Sacramento Kings astatine Golden 1 Center connected March 17, 2026 successful Sacramento, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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"You speech astir guys that alteration shots. He virtually negates guys adjacent shooting the ball," helium said, via ESPN. "They’ll spot him successful determination and dribble the shot retired oregon footwear out. He changes the full dynamic of your defense, and helium changes the dynamic of different team’s offense."

Wembanyama and the Spurs besides got disconnected to a bully commencement successful their archetypal travel to the NBA Playoffs since the 2018-19 season, taking down the Portland Trail Blazers connected Sunday to unfastened their First Round bid with a win, 111-98. Wembanyama finished the crippled with a team-leading 35 points (13-of-21 shooting) with 5 rebounds, 1 assistance and 2 blocks.

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