In what should come as a shock to almost no one, Victor Wembanyama is your 2025–26 Defensive Player of the Year. And, for the first time ever, the vote was unanimous ; the San Antonio center beat out fellow finalists Ausar Thompson of the Pistons and Chet Holmgren of the Thunder entirely, and at 22 is also the youngest player to ever win the award. Sports Illustrated' s Chris Mannix was among the voters to select Wembanyama. Victor Wembanyama is the first unanimous Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year since the award’s inception in 1982-83. The winner was selected by a global media panel of 100 voters. Complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/wIUDEDWJtm — NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 20, 2026 The Spurs big man, currently in the midst of a career-first playoff appearance , finished the regular season with an average of 11.5 rebounds per game, tied for fourth-most in the league, and an NBA-leading 3.1 blocks—miles ahead of OKC's Holgrem and Indy's Jay Huff, who tied for the second-place spot with 1.9.…