Victor Wembanyama wins Defensive Player of the Year, is youngest player to take honor
Wembanyama was the first unanimous winner ever. Chet Holmgren came in second and Ausar Thompson third.
The question was not whether Victor Wembanyama would win Defensive Player of the Year, but whether he would be the first-ever unanimous winner of the award. Yes, he would be. Wembanyama was officially crowned as the Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, becoming the youngest player ever to win the award at age 22.
He also is only the second player to win it in his third NBA season, joining fellow Spur David Robinson. The 2025-26 @Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year is... Victor Wembanyama!
pic. twitter. com/ypmVzV7EeA ā NBA (@NBA) April 20, 2026 Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren finished second in the voting, with Detroit's Ausar Thompson third.
Four-time DPOY Rudy Gobert was fourth in the voting, with Toronto's Scottie Barnes fifth, with 13 players getting at least one vote from the panel of 100 select media members. Wembanyama is the fourth Spur ever to win DPOY, joining Alvin Robertson, David Robinson and Kawhi Leonard (twice). Wembanyama led the league in blocks per game (3.