The NBA has crowned a new trailblazer in defensive dominance, as 22-year-old San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama etched his name into league history by taking home the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year award. The 7-foot-4 French star achieved a milestone no other player has managed in the award’s 43-year existence: he claimed every single one of the 100 available first-place votes, making him the first unanimous winner in the honor’s history. Beyond the unanimous selection, Wembanyama also breaks another record as the youngest player ever to win the award, and only the second player to claim the honor within his first three seasons in the league. That rare distinction was previously only held by Spurs legend David Robinson, who took home the award back in the 1991-92 campaign.
Selected first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, Wembanyama has built a reputation as an unrivaled rim protector early in his career, and this season was no exception. He led the entire league in blocks per game for the third consecutive season, averaging 3.1 rejections per contest. His 2025-26 season also saw career-best offensive production: the two-time All-Star put up 25 points per game, pulled down 11.5 rebounds per game, and added one steal per game to round out his well-rounded stat line.
In comments to NBC after the award announcement, Wembanyama expressed his excitement over the historic achievement, saying, “I’m super, super happy to win this award and actually super proud to be the first ever unanimous [winner].” Behind Wembanyama in the voting, Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder finished second overall with 239 total points, including 76 second-place votes, while Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons took third place with 60 points and nine second-place votes.
Already a contender for this season’s MVP award, Wembanyama has been the driving force behind the Spurs’ dominant regular season. San Antonio posted the league’s second-best record at 62 wins and 20 losses, with the team’s overall defensive rating ranking third across the NBA. German NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki praised Wembanyama’s one-of-a-kind impact in comments to Agence France-Presse, noting, “I’ve never seen anything like it. His defence is so good that he changes the game just by being on the court and taking away some of the lay-ups and twos that other teams would usually take.”
The historic award came just days after Wembanyama turned in a sensational performance in his first ever NBA playoff appearance. On Sunday, the young star dropped a game-high 35 points to lead the Spurs to a win over the Portland Trail Blazers in his postseason debut. The first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs continued on Monday, with several more teams taking the court to extend or level their series.
The Cleveland Cavaliers moved to a 2-0 series lead over the Toronto Raptors after a 115-105 home win, behind 30 points from Donovan Mitchell and 28 points from James Harden. Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley praised the dynamic offensive duo after the game, saying, “They’re one of the greatest (back-courts). It’s hard to stop them because of their offensive prowess. They can make any shot.” Toronto guard RJ Barrett acknowledged the challenge his team faces, telling reporters, “They’re a problem and we’ve got to figure out how to fix that.”
In Denver, the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off a dramatic comeback win after falling behind by 19 points against the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Anthony Edwards led the way with 30 points and 10 rebounds, helping Minnesota secure a 119-114 road win to even their series at one game apiece. The Atlanta Hawks also notched a road comeback victory, holding off the New York Knicks 107-106 to level their first-round series at 1-1. CJ McCollum led all scorers in that matchup with 32 points.