Victor Wembanyama has been named the 2025-26 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Monday. By doing so, the San Antonio Spurs star has become the youngest player in league history to win the award at age 22 and the first ever to claim it unanimously.
Wembanyama is also one of the leading three finalists for the NBA Most Valuable Player this year, alongside Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Victor Wembanyama creates history as Spurs star wins NBA Defensive Player of the Year
Wembanyama received all 100 first-place votes, outpacing finalists Chet Holmgren of the Thunder and Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons. In his third NBA season, the 7-foot-4 phenom anchored one of the league's stingiest defenses, leading the NBA in blocks for the third consecutive year while showcasing elite rim protection, versatility, and anticipation that rewrote expectations for the position.
The previous youngest Defensive Player of the Year winners, including Evan Mobley (23 in 2024-25), Jaren Jackson Jr. (2023), and Kawhi Leonard (2015), were all 23 years old. Wembanyama's selection caps a breakout campaign that followed an injury-shortened prior season, cementing his status as a generational defensive force for a Spurs team on the rise.
ALSO READ: WNBA star Sophie Cunningham clarifies contact comments and misconceptions: ‘gonna shut this down right now…”