WEMBY WINS 2026 DPOY WITH 100 UNANIMOUS VOTES

100 first-place votes. Every single one. That has never happened in the history of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. Victor Wembanyama just made it happen in his second season.

The Voter Count Does Not Lie

The NBA distributed ballots to 100 media members. Every one of them put Wembanyama first. Not a single holdout. Not a protest vote. Not a "the voters wanted to send a message" second choice. Chet Holmgren, who won Defensive Player of the Year runner-up and plays for the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, finished second. Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons was third. Neither received a first-place ballot. This is not close. This is consensus so complete it reads as scientific.

197 Blocks, 64 Games, and One Eligibility Technicality

The season had a catch. Wembanyama played in 63 regular-season games, one below the 65-game minimum required for award eligibility. The NBA Cup final game in December counted as Game 64. The league credited him for that appearance, which cleared the eligibility threshold and allowed the vote to proceed. Without that ruling, the first unanimous DPOY in league history would have been disqualified on a technicality. The NBA made the right call. The technical correct answer and the culturally correct answer were the same.

Where This Lands in the Franchise Record

Wembanyama is the fourth San Antonio Spur to win Defensive Player of the Year. The others: Alvin Robertson, 1986. David Robinson, 1992. Kawhi Leonard, 2015 and 2016. Robertson was a backcourt thief with 297 steals in one season, a record that still stands. Robinson was a shot-blocking center who defined the position. Leonard was the best perimeter defender of his generation. Wembanyama at 7-foot-4 with a 7-11 wingspan occupies all three roles simultaneously.

The Michael Jordan Comparison Is Accurate

To win both Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same career, you previously had to be Michael Jordan (1985 ROY, 1988 DPOY) or David Robinson (1990 ROY, 1992 DPOY). Wembanyama joins both. His 3.1 blocks per game is a league-leading total he has achieved for three consecutive seasons. No one else in NBA history has led the league in blocks in each of their first three seasons.

Nike's Position in This Moment

Nike Basketball posted the announcement on their official account before the league's own press release had finished loading. The caption: "A dominant presence walks this planet. Here's proof." Wembanyama signed with Nike as a rookie and wears a custom Wemby edition of the Nike Zoom GT Jump. The endorsement is estimated at $100 million over 10 years, the largest rookie Nike deal since LeBron James in 2003. A unanimous DPOY in year two validates every dollar of that number.

Wembanyama turns 23 in January 2027. He has already done what no center, no forward, no guard has done before him. The voters gave him 100. The only question left is how many times he does it again.

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