Spurs star Victor Wembanyama first unanimous DPOY winner - ESPN

SAN ANTONIO — Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Monday night, becoming the first to win the award unanimously and setting the 7-foot-4 phenom on a path he predicted for himself as a rookie.

Just before fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert won DPOY for the fourth time at the end of Wembanyama's rookie season in 2024, the then-20-year-old said in French that Gobert's days of winning the award were numbered.

«I know that Rudy has a very good chance of winning it this year, and it would be deserved,» Wembanyama said at the time. «Let him win it now, because after that, it's no longer his turn.»

Wembanyama is the youngest DPOY winner at 22 years old. He's also San Antonio's first DPOY winner since former Spurs star Kawhi Leonard won in back-to-back seasons (2014-15 and 2015-16), a trend Wembanyama hopes to reignite, perhaps with even more consecutive victories.

Victor Wembanyama became the youngest DPOY winner in NBA history as well as the first to win the award unanimously.

«The real struggle might have been getting to 65 games,» Wembanyama said — referring to the number needed for award eligibility — on NBC Sports Network on Monday. «But I'm super, super happy to win this award and actually super proud to be the first-ever unanimous.»

Wembanyama earned all 100 first-place votes for the award. Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren finished second with 76 second-place votes. Detroit's Ausar Thompson was third.

Ben Wallace (2001-02) had been the closest to becoming the first unanimous winner of the award when he received 116 of the 120 first-place votes, with Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Dikembe Mutombo combining for the remaining votes.

Wembanyama was ineligible for the award last season after he