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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama wins Defensive Player of the Year after historic season

On Monday, April 20, 2026, the NBA named San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama the 2025-26 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, making the 22-year-old the first unanimous winner in league history.
Wembanyama led the NBA with 3.1 blocks per game and 197 total blocks this season, anchoring a Spurs defense that finished with a 110.4 defensive rating and marked his second consecutive year leading the league in blocks.
Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox said Wembanyama "deters people from even shooting the ball," while the center recorded 43 games with both a block and a steal, averaging 4.11 "stocks" per game, best in the league.
Teammate Keldon Johnson called the honor "a small token of what's to come for Victor," while Wembanyama, an MVP finalist, celebrated the award after helping the Spurs secure their first Game 1 playoff victory in seven years.
Wembanyama remains a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award, with his 627 career blocks already ranking fifth in Spurs history and positioning him for top-three territory next season if he stays healthy.

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The Independent

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Victor Wembanyama makes NBA history as he is named Defensive Player of the Year

Victor Wembanyama was crowned Defensive Player of the Year on Monday

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West Hawaii Today

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Victor Wembanyama becomes NBA’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year winner

SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama was asked Monday if he would be surprised if he would not soon become the NBA’s first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year winner.

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Richmond Times-Dispatch

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Wemby named Defensive Player of the Year

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Liberation

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Il Post

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The Basketball Player Victor Wembanyama Won the Nba Best Defender Award Unanimously: It Had Never Happened.

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ladepeche.fr

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Victor Wembanyama Elected the Best Defender of the Season in Nba: Precocious, Unanimous vote... Why the Frenchman Entered the History of His Sport

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