Wembanyama wins DPOY
- What happened: Victor Wembanyama was announced as the unanimous 2025‑26 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year. - The key specific: The award was decided by a global panel of 100 voters who backed Wembanyama unanimously. - Context/reaction: The unanimous vote sparked wide social buzz and adds a major accolade to the Spurs rookie's defense profile (x.com).
Victor Wembanyama was named the 2025-26 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, becoming the first unanimous winner in the award’s history. (nba.com) The NBA said a global media panel of 100 voters selected Wembanyama for the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, and every ballot put him first. (nba.com) Wembanyama is 22 and does not turn 23 until January 4, 2027, which makes him the youngest Defensive Player of the Year since the award began in 1982-83. His NBA.com player page lists him at 7-foot-4 and 235 pounds. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The award closes a three-year arc. Wembanyama finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting as a rookie in 2023-24, then entered 2024-25 as the favorite before a medical issue ended that season early, according to the NBA’s award announcement. (nba.com) This season, the NBA said, he led the league in blocked shots for a third straight year. The other 2025-26 finalists were Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren and Detroit’s Ausar Thompson. (nba.com) The Spurs also added a franchise marker with the vote. San Antonio became the first team with four different Defensive Player of the Year winners: Alvin Robertson, David Robinson, Kawhi Leonard and now Wembanyama. (nba.com) Wembanyama now joins Robinson and Michael Jordan as the only players to win both Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. The NBA noted that his 2024 Rookie of the Year award was also unanimous. (nba.com) The league built this week’s awards schedule around the postseason, listing Defensive Player of the Year for Monday, April 20, 2026, with other major awards set for the days after. Wembanyama is also listed by the NBA as a finalist for Most Valuable Player. (nba.com) The vote gives Wembanyama a defensive award that no player had ever swept completely before. For a player the NBA already records as a two-time All-Star in his second season, it adds another line to a résumé that is filling quickly. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)
