Wembanyama: Unanimous DPOY

Victor Wembanyama is the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, and every one of the award’s 100 voters picked him first. (nba.com) The San Antonio Spurs center won the 2025-26 award at age 22, making him the youngest Defensive Player of the Year since the honor began in 1982-83. The NBA said he is also the first unanimous winner in the award’s history. (nba.com) The voting was not close: Wembanyama received all 100 first-place votes from a global media panel. He finished ahead of fellow finalists Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors. (sports.yahoo.com) Defensive Player of the Year usually rewards rim protection, steals, and the way one defender changes an opponent’s shot selection. Wembanyama led the league in blocks this season, and the Associated Press reported that teams regularly avoided the paint when he was on the floor. (apnews.com) The award also closes a two-year climb. Wembanyama finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting as a rookie, then entered last season as the favorite before a medical issue cut that campaign short, according to the Associated Press. (apnews.com) For San Antonio, it is the franchise’s first Defensive Player of the Year since Kawhi Leonard won in 2014-15 and 2015-16. ESPN reported that Wembanyama said as a rookie that multiple trophies like this were part of his plan. (espn.com) The reaction spilled beyond the NBA awards cycle and into the wider basketball world. Caitlin Clark posted, “Wemby is ridiculous,” during his playoff debut Sunday, a remark that circulated again after the award announcement. (collegefootballnetwork.com) That response fit the moment: a 22-year-old Spurs star just turned a yearly award into a first in league history, with no dissenting votes at all. (nba.com)