Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama becomes youngest player to secure major NBA honor

TL;DR

Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs has won the 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, becoming the youngest player to achieve this honor and the first unanimous selection in its history.

Key points

Victor Wembanyama won the 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award
He is the youngest player to achieve this honor
Wembanyama is the first unanimous selection for this award in NBA history
He missed the previous season due to a blood clot injury

Victor WembanyamaSan Antonio SpursNBA

The NBA made it official Monday. Victor Wembanyama won the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year award, becoming the first unanimous selection in the history of the honor.

The San Antonio Spurs center didn’t just beat out the competition, he left no room for debate.

MORE: Karl Anthony Towns has hilarious postgame reaction to ‘Game of Thrones’ star

Victor Wembanyama wins Defensive Player of the Year

This was supposed to happen a year ago. Wembanyama looked like a lock for the award in 2024-25 before a blood clot ended his season after 46 games. The injury wiped out what seemed like an inevitable win and left the race wide open.

This season, nothing got in the way. No setbacks, no controversies, no second-guessing. Wembanyama dominated on the defensive end all year. He swallowed up shots at the rim, erased driving lanes, and turned entire offensive schemes sideways just by stepping on the floor.

Opposing teams spent timeouts trying to figure out how to work around him. Most of them failed. The 7-foot-4 center put up 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists over 64 games.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama

He beat out Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren for the award, who finished second in voting. Wembanyama now owns two straight top-two finishes in Defensive Player of the Year balloting after placing runner-up to during his 2023-24 Rookie of the Year campaign.

Q&A

How old is Victor Wembanyama when he won the Defensive Player of the Year award?

Victor Wembanyama became the youngest player to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, although his exact age at the time of the award is not specified.

What injury did Victor Wembanyama suffer before winning the award?

Wembanyama suffered a blood clot injury that ended his 2024-25 season after 46 games, which prevented him from winning the award that year.

What makes Wembanyama's Defensive Player of the Year award significant?

Wembanyama's award is significant because he is the first player to be a unanimous selection for the Defensive Player of the Year in NBA history.