Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama becomes youngest player to secure major NBA honor
The NBA made it official Monday. Victor Wembanyama won the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year award, becoming the first unanimous selection in the history of the honor. The San Antonio Spurs center didn’t just beat out the competition, he…
The NBA made it official Monday . Victor Wembanyama won the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year award, becoming the first unanimous selection in the history of the honor. The San Antonio Spurs center didn’t just beat out the competition, he left no room for debate.
MORE: Karl Anthony Towns has hilarious postgame reaction to ‘Game of Thrones’ star Victor Wembanyama wins Defensive Player of the Year This was supposed to happen a year ago. Wembanyama looked like a lock for the award in 2024-25 before a blood clot ended his season after 46 games. The injury wiped out what seemed like an inevitable win and left the race wide open.
This season, nothing got in the way. No setbacks, no controversies, no second-guessing. Wembanyama dominated on the defensive end all year.
He swallowed up shots at the rim, erased driving lanes, and turned entire offensive schemes sideways just by stepping on the floor. Opposing teams spent timeouts trying to figure out how to work around him. Most of them failed.