Victor Wembanyama is a unanimous selection as the NBA's defensive player of the year
There had never been a unanimous NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Victor Wembanyama — as expected — was announced Monday night as the league's top defensive player. The San Antonio center was second in the voting for DPOY as a rookie, was the favorite last season until a medical condition ended his season prematurely, then left no doubt this year.
There had never been a unanimous NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Until now. Victor Wembanyama — as expected — was announced Monday night as the league's top defensive player.
The San Antonio center was second in the voting for DPOY as a rookie, was the favorite last season until a medical condition ended his season prematurely, then left no doubt this year. At 22, he's the youngest winner of the award. Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren and Detroit's Ausar Thompson were the other finalists, after both helped their teams secure No.
1 seeds for the playoffs. But this was never in doubt, not after the 7-foot-4 — or maybe taller — Wembanyama led the NBA in blocked shots for a third consecutive season and generally terrorized opponents any time they wanted to score. “Best player in the world,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said.
The NBA will continue its award announcements Tuesday when the Clutch Player of the Year — either Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Denver's Jamal Murray — is revealed. Wembanyama is also a finalist for MVP, with the winner of that trophy not set to be revealed until next week at the earliest. First, the league got this announcement out of the way.