SAN ANTONIO — The NBA named San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama the Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, April 20, 2026, making him the first unanimous winner in the award's history. Wembanyama, 22, also became the youngest recipient of the honor, which was first handed out in the 1982-83 season.

Every previous winner had been at least 23 years old. Wembanyama will not turn 23 until January 2027. He led the NBA in blocked shots for a third consecutive season and was required to appear in 65 games to be eligible for the award. Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren finished second in the voting, and Ausar Thompson finished third. Wembanyama had placed second in the voting during his rookie season, and a medical condition ended his season prematurely last year when he was a favorite for the award.

"The real struggle might have been getting to 65 games, but I'm super, super happy to win this award and actually super proud to be the first-ever unanimous," Wembanyama said. The 7-foot-4 center reflected on the contributions of those around him. "We often overlook the team aspect. I'm sitting here. I happen to be the guy who's put in the spotlight, but I am part of a system and 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," he said.

The Spurs became the first franchise with four players to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. The previous San Antonio winners were Alvin Robertson in 1986, David Robinson in 1992, and Kawhi Leonard in 2015 and 2016. Wembanyama, Robinson, and Michael Jordan are the only players to win both NBA Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Stephen Curry was the unanimous Most Valuable Player in 2016. In the ten seasons following Curry's unanimous MVP, the only instances of a player collecting 100% of first-place votes for a major NBA award have been Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year in 2024 and for Defensive Player of the Year in 2026.

"Best player in the world," Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said.

Wembanyama is one of three finalists for the NBA Most Valuable Player award, along with reigning winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and three-time winner Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets. That winner will be revealed next week at the earliest. Wembanyama will be on the NBA All-Defensive team as the Defensive Player of the Year winner and is assured of receiving at least four trophies during this year's award season.