Victor Wembanyama is no stranger to breaking records, and he now stands alone in NBA history with his latest achievement.
On Monday, the San Antonio Spurs star was voted the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year. He is the first unanimous winner of the award in NBA history.
Wembanyama, who led the league in each of his three NBA seasons, beat out finalists Chet Holmgren and Ausar Thompson for the coveted award.
“I’m super proud to be the first ever unanimous [winner],” Wembanyama told NBC Sports after winning the award. … “My shot-blocking is something I’ve been working on forever. It’s probably the area of my game where I fell most comfortable at.”
Since entering the league, Wemby has led the league in blocks per game and total blocks. This includes last season, when his campaign was cut short due to blood clots.
He is one of just three players in NBA history to block a shot in 100+ games.
Wemby Could Become a Perennial DPOY Candidate
For Wemby, his award win was inevitable. The 7-foot-4 phenom predicted he would secure Defensive Player of the Year after fellow French center Rudy Gobert took home the award his rookie season.
“I know that Rudy has a very good chance of winning it this year, and it would be deserved,” Wembanyama said. “Let him win it now, because after that, it’s no longer his turn.”
Given his dominance on the defensive end of the floor and absurd block totals, it’s not hyperbolic to suggest that his unanimous award win could be the first of many for the Spurs superstar.
Wembanyama, 22, is the youngest player to win the award and could do so several times over before his jersey is hung in the rafters.
“Everything that [he’s] achieved so far has been earned and never given,” said teammate Keldon Johnson, a finalist for NBA Sixth Man of the Year. “He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around. He takes his craft very seriously and I feel like this is just a small token of what’s to come for Victor. He’s a special player on the court and an even more special person off the court.”
Wemby is the First Spur Since Kawhi to Win DPOY
Wemby is the first Spurs player to secure the prized award since Kawhi Leonard did so in back-to-back seasons (2014-15 and 2015-16), a feat Wemby hopes to replicate.
As the defensive anchor for a Spurs team that finished with the second-best defensive rating in the league (110.4), Wembanyama led the NBA in blocks (197) for the second consecutive season and recorded 66 steals.
The 22-year-old center was the only player in the league with 30 or more games with 3+ blocks (36). The next closest was Chet Holmgren, who had 25 such games.
“He deters people from even shooting the ball,” Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox said. “You talk about guys that change shots. He literally negates guys even shooting the ball. They’ll see him in there and dribble the ball out or kick out. He changes the whole dynamic of your defense, and he changes the dynamic of other team’s offense.”
Wemby noted during the final regular season game that he’d be surprised if he didn’t win the award. Now, he can cherish the fact that it was never in doubt.
Wemby is also a finalist for Most Valuable Player. Unlike the Defensive Player of the Year race, the MVP doesn’t project to have a unanimous winner.
Still, after leading the Spurs to the playoffs, Wemby has a legit chance to secure both awards this season.
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