Victor Wembanyama named NBA Defensive Player of the Year award as first ever unanimous winner
Will it be his first of many?
Victor Wembanyama was a virtual lock to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2024-25 before a blood clot cut his season short at 46 games. There were no shortcomings this season. The NBA announced on Monday that Wembanyama won the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year award, the first of his three-year NBA career.
He was the first unanimous winner of the award in NBA history. Wembanyama beat out fellow finalist Chet Holmgren to secure the hardware. The win marks Wembanyama’s second top-two finish in voting for DPOY.
He finished second to Rudy Gobert during his 2023-24 Rookie of the Year campaign. How many DPOYs will Wemby win? If projections hold true, the DPOY award will be the first of many for the transcendent San Antonio Spurs center, who has no equal as a defender in basketball.
Thanks in part to his defensive prowess, Wembanyama is also an MVP finalist alongside Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Wembanyma’s game is unprecedented on multiple fronts. At 7-foot-4 with handles, a face-up game and a 3-point shot in addition to post moves, Wembanyama is next to impossible to guard.