Wembanyama Becomes First Unanimous NBA DPOY at 22 Sport By lines April 21, 2026 Victor Wembanyama won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Monday as the first unanimous pick. The San Antonio Spurs star collected all 100 first-place votes. Wemby Sets a Record No One Had Touched Wembanyama earned 100 of 100 first-place votes in the 2025-26 ballot. Ben Wallace held the previous high at 116 of 120 votes in 2001-02. Chet Holmgren finished second with 76 second-place votes for the Thunder. Wembanyama is 22 years old and the youngest DPOY winner in league history. Detroit Pistons wing Ausar Thompson placed third in the voting. Wembanyama is the first Spurs DPOY since Kawhi Leonard in 2015-16. Wembanyama led the NBA with 197 blocks for a second straight season. Wembanyama averaged 11.5 rebounds per game, fourth in the league. San Antonio finished with a 110.4 defensive rating, second in the NBA. Wembanyama is also an MVP finalist with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. Wembanyama missed 36 games as a sophomore due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. The award drought ended in Wembanyama’s third NBA season. Related Sports Coverage Wembanyama’s 35 Power Spurs Past Blazers in Game 1 Thunder Open Title Defense With 119-84 Rout of Suns Cavaliers Beat Raptors 126-113 in NBA Playoffs Game 1 Source: ESPN.
