Spurs' Victor Wembanyama Unanimously Crowned 2025–26 Defensive Player of the Year

In what should come as a shock to almost no one, Victor Wembanyama is your 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year. And, for the first time ever, the vote was unanimous; the San Antonio center beat out fellow finalists Ausar Thompson of the Pistons and Chet Holgrem of the Thunder entirely, and is also the youngest player to ever win the award.

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix was among the voters.

The Spurs big man, currently in the midst of a career-first playoff appearance, finished the regular season with an average of 11.5 rebounds per game, tied for fourth-most in the league, and an NBA-leading 3.1 blocks-miles ahead of OKC's Holgrem and Indy's Jay Huff, who tied for the second-place spot with 1.9. As for total blocks, Wemby also led the charge there with 197, well ahead of Huff's 153.

The 22-year-old "Alien," as he is lovingly known, came notably close to ineligibility for end-of-season awards when he missed multiple contests back in December with a calf strain. In the end, he finished the year right at the 65-game benchmark, counting his appearance in the NBA Cup final, and thus avoided the appeal process required for Luka Dončić and Cade Cunningham.

"The real struggle might have been getting to 65 games," Wembanyama quipped during a Monday appearance on Peacock, immediately after the award was announced. "I'm super happy to win this award and actually super proud to be the first ever unanimous."

From an impact standpoint, it is hard to overstate the influence Wemby has had on the Spurs this season. After missing a chunk of 2024–25 with a bout of deep vein thrombosis, the 7' 4" Frenchman came back with vengeance to lead his team to a total of 62 wins and a No. 2 seed in the playoffs, all while averaging a double-double (25 points/11.5 rebounds/3.1 assists-even with his time on the sidelines). And if that weren't enough, his passion for both the game and for "ethical basketball" influenced every facet of this year's NBA; it's no wonder he found himself a finalist for the MVP award, as well.

Asked in early April if he'd be surprised if his DPOY crown weren't unanimous, Wemby, in a vote of confidence for himself, bluntly replied: "Yes. Yes, I would." As in, yes, it would surprise him if the DPOY vote were not unanimous in his favor.

Well, he was certainly onto something. And now, he is the fourth San Antonio Spur in history to win DPOY, joining Alvin Robertson (1986), David Robinson (1992) and Kawhi Leonard (2015, '16).

Well-earned and well-deserved. Wemby is undeniable.

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 6:29 PM.