Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama makes NBA history with first career Defensive Player of the Year award

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San Antonio Spurs star big man, Victor Wembanyama, was unanimously named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season, and he did so in historic fashion.

Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 phenom, became the youngest player to ever win the prestigious award at just 22 years old. Even better, he is the first to ever win the award unanimously, and for good reason.

Wembanyama was a problem with, and without, the ball in his hands this season.

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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama plays during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on April 4, 2026. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)

He earned all 100 first-place votes for the award, with Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren finishing with 76 second-place votes. Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson finished in third place when the ballots were tallied.

The next-closest player to getting a unanimously victory for Defensive Player of the Year was Ben Wallace during the 2001-02 season, where he finished four votes shy in the 120-person panel.

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While Wembanyama is also a finalist for the league’s MVP award, this one in particular is something he’s been looking to add to his career trophy collection.

Wembanyama was a rookie in 2024 when Rudy Gobert, his fellow French compatriot, won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award. However, Wembanyama, the first overall pick by the Spurs, said Gobert’s days as the best defender in the league would be coming to an end at some