Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama becomes first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year
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San Antonio, Apr. 20, 2026 — Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was voted NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Monday night, receiving all 100 first-place ballots and becoming the league’s first unanimous winner of the award.
The 22-year-old is now the youngest recipient in the honor’s 42-year history and the first Spur to claim the trophy since Kawhi Leonard won in 2015 and 2016. Wembanyama had forecast the achievement two years ago, telling reporters in French at the close of his rookie campaign that fellow countryman Rudy Gobert’s reign would soon end.
Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren finished second with 76 second-place votes, while Detroit rookie Ausar Thompson placed third. The previous closest bid for a unanimous selection came in 2002, when Ben Wallace collected 116 of 120 first-place votes.
Statistical dominance
Wembanyama led the league with 197 blocks for the second straight season, added 66 steals and helped San Antonio post the NBA’s second-best defensive rating at 110.4. He ranked fourth in overall rebounding (11.5 per game) and second in defensive boards (9.5), trailing only Nikola Jokić.
Sunday’s playoff debut against Portland underscored his impact: Trail Blazers shooters went 0-for-11 on attempts contested by the 7-foot-4 rookie, who also recorded two blocks.
Road back from DVT
Wembanyama was ineligible for last season’s awards after missing 36 games with a right-shoulder deep vein thrombosis. He met this year’s 65-game minimum, a milestone he later called “the real struggle.”
Teammate reactions
Guard Keldon Johnson praised Wembanyama’s work ethic, calling the award “a small token of what’s to come,” while rookie teammate Stephon Castle said the Frenchman’s defensive influence would translate “on any team in the league.”
Point guard De’Aaron Fox added that Wembanyama often discourages opponents from shooting altogether, noting, “He changes the whole dynamic of your defense, and he changes the dynamic of other teams’ offense.”
More hardware possible
Already a runner-up to Gobert in his rookie season, Wembanyama is also a finalist for the 2025-26 MVP award alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić, keeping open the possibility of a rare defensive-offensive awards double.
Source: ESPN
