Victor Wembanyama Named NBA’s First Unanimous Defensive Player Of The Year

Victor Wembanyama was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Monday night, becoming the first player to win the award unanimously, ESPN reported from San Antonio.

“San Antonio Spursbig manVictor Wembanyamahas won the 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award”

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The ESPN story says the Spurs star earned all 100 first-place votes, with Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren finishing second with 76 second-place votes and Detroit’s Ausar Thompson third.

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ESPN also notes Wembanyama became the youngest DPOY winner at 22 and that he is San Antonio’s first DPOY winner since former Spurs star Kawhi Leonard won in back-to-back seasons (2014-15, 2015-16).

The Guardian similarly frames the moment as a first, writing that “There had never been a unanimous NBA defensive player of the year. Until now.”

The New York Times adds that Wembanyama won the NBA’s 2026 Defensive Player of the Year award “earning all 100 first-place votes from a panel of select media members.”

Multiple outlets tie the award to Wembanyama’s eligibility, with ESPN saying “The real struggle might have been getting to 65 games,” and the New York Times specifying he played in 64 regular-season games and the NBA Cup final, which counted as his 65th game for award eligibility.

After the announcement, Wembanyama told NBC Sports Network, “I’m super, super happy to win this award and actually super proud to be the first-ever unanimous,” a line echoed by the Guardian and Sporting News.

Wembanyama’s unanimous DPOY is presented across outlets as the culmination of a season defined by blocks, defensive impact, and team defense.

ESPN says he led the NBA in blocks (197) for the second consecutive season and logged 66 steals for a Spurs team that finished with the league’s second-best defensive rating (110.4).

ESPN

ESPN also reports Wembanyama ranked fourth in rebounding (11.5 per game) and was second behind Jokic in defensive rebounding (9.5).

Yardbarker adds that Wembanyama led the NBA in blocks for the third consecutive season, averaging 3.1 per game, and also ranked first in defensive win shares (five) and defensive rebound rate (33.9 percent).

The New York Times provides additional opponent-facing metrics, saying opponents shot 40.7 percent from the field against him and 8.7 percentage points worse than average when he was the closest defender, “according to NBA stats.”

It also says the Spurs allowed 10.2 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, and notes he joined Dikembe Mutombo and Marcus Camby as the only players to lead the NBA in blocks for three straight seasons.

ESPN’s account includes a playoff detail, saying Wembanyama logged two blocks Sunday in his playoff debut against the Trail Blazers, and that Portland’s shooters finished scoreless on 11 attempts when he was the contesting defender, according to ESPN Research.

The award also prompted reactions from teammates and other figures who describe Wembanyama’s defense as both disruptive and system-driven.

“Victor Wembanyama is no stranger to breaking records, and he now stands alone in NBA history with his latest achievement”

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ESPN quotes Keldon Johnson saying, “Everything that [he's] achieved so far has been earned and never given,” and adds Johnson’s view that Wembanyama “takes his craft very seriously.”

ESPN also includes a quote from Stephon Castle, who said, “Vic's a lot different than a typical defender,” and contrasted it with the idea that DPOY is usually “more team defense.”

ESPN then brings in Wembanyama’s own response about credit, with the forward saying, “We often overlook the team aspect,” and later adding, “I couldn't get this award, and I couldn't do what I do if it wasn't for my teammates ... and my coaching staff.”

The New York Times adds another voice from Draymond Green, who said, “To sit and say today that my defense is more impactful than Victor Wembanyama, I think that would be a lie,” and also insisted, “I wouldn't put myself above him, but I wouldn't put myself below anyone.”

Sporting News and Sports Illustrated both include Wembanyama’s post-award remarks on NBC, with Sporting News quoting him as saying, “It feels great,” and Sports Illustrated quoting him saying, “The real struggle might have been getting to 65 games, but I'm super happy to win this award.”

The Guardian includes a direct quote from Keldon Johnson calling Wembanyama “Best player in the world,” and it also quotes Wembanyama on the team aspect: “We often overlook the team aspect.”

While all the reports agree on the core outcome—Wembanyama becoming the first unanimous NBA Defensive Player of the Year—the emphasis and framing vary by outlet.

ESPN leads with the award’s unanimity and the voting mechanics, stating he “earned all 100 first-place votes,” and it situates the moment in a broader arc that includes his earlier prediction about Rudy Gobert’s DPOY run.

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ESPN quotes Wembanyama’s earlier French remarks about Gobert, saying, “Let him win it now, because after that, it's no longer his turn.”

The Guardian, by contrast, foregrounds historical context and milestones, listing that “Every other winner of the award had been at least 23,” and that Wembanyama “doesn’t turn 23 until next January.”

The New York Times adds a different kind of framing by focusing on the broadcast moment and the panel of voters, noting Wembanyama joined the “NBC Showtime” pregame show alongside his mother, Elodie, and the Spurs’ defensive coordinator, Sean Sweeney.

NBA’s own communications-style report emphasizes the award’s selection process, saying “The winner was selected by a global media panel of 100 voters,” and it ties the win to other unanimous awards by referencing Golden State’s Stephen Curry as the unanimous MVP in 2016.

Sporting News and Sports Illustrated both focus on Wembanyama’s reaction and the 65-game threshold, with Sporting News quoting him as saying, “The real struggle might have been getting to 65 games,” and Sports Illustrated quoting him as saying, “The real struggle might have been getting to 65 games, but I'm super, super happy to win this award.”

The reports also connect the DPOY announcement to the rest of the NBA awards calendar and to the playoffs, outlining what Wembanyama’s season could still produce.

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ESPN says Wembanyama is “also a finalist, along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, for NBA MVP,” and it notes teammate Keldon Johnson is a finalist for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Sporting News

The Guardian states that Wembanyama is an MVP finalist and that “the winner of that trophy not set to be revealed until next week at the earliest,” while also emphasizing that the DPOY win means he will be on the All-Defensive team.

NBA’s report similarly says Wembanyama is an MVP finalist “along with Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, and three-time winner Nikola Jokic of Denver,” and it adds that the NBA will continue award announcements Tuesday when the Clutch Player of the Year is revealed.

The New York Times places the DPOY in a broader defensive narrative, saying Wembanyama’s win means he’ll be assured of no fewer than four trophies from this year’s award season, and it also describes his defensive gravity in terms of how opponents avoid shooting when he is near.

ESPN’s account ties the award to immediate on-court action by noting Wembanyama’s two blocks in his playoff debut against the Trail Blazers and that Portland’s shooters were scoreless on 11 attempts when he was the contesting defender.

As Wembanyama put it when asked about unanimity, he said, “Yes, I would,” and the New York Times records that he had been asked recently if he would be surprised if he did not soon become the first unanimous DPOY winner.