Victor Wembanyama Named Defensive Player Of The Year
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season, the league announced on Monday (Twitter link). He’s the youngest player in league history to win the award, tweets Shams Charania of ESPN, and is the first player to win it in a unanimous vote, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Wembanyama, who received all 100 first-place votes, led the NBA in total blocked shots (197) and blocks per game (3.1) by a significant margin and ranked second in defensive rebounds per game (11.5) despite playing just 29.2 minutes per night. His 28.5% defensive rebounding percentage was the highest mark in the league among qualified players.
The Spurs star also limited opponents to a 42.0% field goal percentage and anchored the NBA’s third-best defense. San Antonio allowed 103.6 points per 100 possessions when Wembanyama was on the court and gave up 113.7 points per 100 possessions when he sat.
Wembanyama was the favorite to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024/25, but a blood clot prematurely ended his season in February, preventing him playing in the 65 games necessary to qualify for consideration. He missed some time this year due to health issues, but met the 65-game criteria during the final week of the regular season.
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, who previously finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Wembanyama in 2023/24, once again finished as the runner-up to his conference rival for a major award — he earned the second-most votes for Defensive Player of the Year, including 76 second-place votes and 11 for third place. Holmgren ranked second in the NBA in blocks per game (1.9) and was the primary interior presence on a Thunder team that had the league’s No. 1 defensive rating (106.5).
Pistons wing Ausar Thompson was the top Defensive Player of the Year vote-getter among perimeter players, coming in third behind Wembanyama and Holmgren with nine second-place votes and 33 third-place votes. Thompson ranked first in the NBA in steals per game (2.0) despite playing fewer minutes per contest (26.0) than the seven players who ranked right behind him in that category. Detroit was sandwiched between OKC and San Antonio with the league’s second-best defensive rating (108.9).
A total of 13 players showed up on at least one Defensive Player of the Year ballot, with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes rounding out the top five, in that order.
Celtics guard Derrick White, Thunder guard Cason Wallace, Rockets guard Amen Thompson, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Knicks forward OG Anunoby each received multiple votes, while Pistons center Jalen Duren, Warriors forward Draymond Green, and Heat big man Bam Adebayo showed up on one ballot apiece.
The full results can be viewed here (via Twitter).
While Defensive Player of the Year honors can, in some cases, ensure that a player qualifies for a higher maximum salary on his next contract, that won’t be the case for Wembanyama despite the fact that he’ll likely sign a maximum-salary rookie extension with the Spurs during the coming offseason. The Rose Rule criteria will require him to win MVP or DPOY or simply earn an All-NBA spot in 2026/27 in order to qualify for a contract that starts at 30% of the ’27/28 cap (instead of 25%).
NBA Announces Finalists For 2025/26 Awards
The NBA has announced the finalists for this season’s major awards, including Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Clutch Player of the Year.
The MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year finalists were announced at halftime of the NBC broadcast of Game 1 between the Pistons and Magic, while the league’s official account tweeted the rest.
Most Valuable Player
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
The leaders of the three top teams in the Western Conference all have strong arguments for MVP. Jokic became the first player to lead the league in rebounds and assists per game while also averaging 27.7 points. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31.1 PPG and led the Thunder to the league’s best record despite the fact that multiple starters missed substantial time this season. Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game while emerging as a lock for Defensive Player of the Year.
Rookie of the Year
- Cooper Flagg (Mavericks)
- Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
- VJ Edgecombe (Sixers)
This race is expected to come down to the former Duke teammates. Knueppel played a key role for a resurgent Hornets squad, becoming the first rookie to lead the league in made three-pointers while averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in 81 appearances. Flagg’s Mavs finished well out of the postseason picture, but he showed massive star upside, averaging 21.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 4.5 APG while scoring at least 42 points in four separate games. Edgecombe averaged 35.0 minutes per game over 75 contests, posting a well-rounded 16.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 4.2 APG.
Coach of the Year
- Joe Mazzulla (Celtics)
- J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
- Mitch Johnson (Spurs)
Mazzulla and Bickerstaff each led massively overperforming teams that managed to dominate the Eastern Conference despite having players in and out of the lineup all year. Johnson helped navigate a tricky guard rotation and spacing issues as the Spurs posted the second-best record in the league.
Defensive Player of the Year
- Chet Holmgren (Thunder)
- Ausar Thompson (Pistons)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
Wembanyama is the overwhelming favorite to win this award, ranking first in total blocks, blocks per game, defensive rating, and defensive rebounding percentage this season. Holmgren was second in blocks per game for the league’s top defense, while Thompson proved himself to be arguably the best perimeter defender in the league with his combination of off-ball defensive play-making and point-of-attack dominance.
Most Improved Player
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Hawks)
- Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers)
- Jalen Duren (Pistons)
Both Avdija and Duren were first-time All-Stars this season, while Alexander-Walker earned a starting spot on his new team and raised his scoring from 9.4 points per game last season to 20.8 PPG this season on .459/.399/.902 shooting splits, all career high percentages.
Sixth Man of the Year
- Tim Hardaway Jr. (Nuggets)
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Heat)
- Keldon Johnson (Spurs)
Hardaway cracked 40% from three this season for the first time in his career while shooting 6.9 attempts in his 26.6 minutes per game. Most importantly for the injury-plagued Nuggets, he played 80 games, including six starts, and was the team’s fifth-highest scorer. Jaquez had an impressively well-rounded contribution off the bench, posting career-highs of 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Johnson was a crucial scoring hub for the Spurs bench units while adding offensive pop when the starters struggled to score.
Clutch Player of the Year
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
Gilgeous-Alexander and Edwards ranked first and second, respectively, in clutch scoring per game, while Murray was second in total clutch points behind the Thunder star and shot the most efficiently from three of the guards.
Brett Siegel of Clutch Points notes (via Twitter) that the awards will be announced in the coming days and weeks, starting with Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, April 20.
Northwest Notes: Thunder, Nuggets, THJ, Sharpe, Krejci, Edwards
After clinching the No. 1 seed and the NBA’s best record on Wednesday, the Thunder won’t exactly be going all out to win Friday’s matchup with Denver. They’ve ruled out 10 players, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right oblique injury management), Chet Holmgren (low back spasms), Jalen Williams (right hamstring injury management), and Cason Wallace (left great toe soreness), tweets Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.
However, there’s a chance the Nuggets will find themselves shorthanded as well. Already missing Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones due to hamstring strains, Denver has also listed Nikola Jokic (right wrist injury management), Jamal Murray (right shoulder impingement), and Aaron Gordon (right hamstring injury management) as questionable (Twitter link).
We have more from around the Northwest:
- Veteran wing Tim Hardaway Jr. hasn’t received a ton of buzz as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, but the Nuggets are pushing his case for the award, according to Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. The 34-year-old has averaged 13.5 points per game on .449/.409/.813 shooting in 79 games for Denver, including 74 as a reserve. “He’s Sixth Man of the Year,” Murray said on Wednesday. “He’s really a starter for us. He’s playing the same minutes as a starter, guarding some of the best players. Just a real professional, honestly, same energy, same mentality every single night. (He’s) real consistent in that regard, so it’s always good to have somebody that you can rely on to not just put the ball in the hoop but for their energy and leadership every single night.”
- The Trail Blazers have upgraded guards Shaedon Sharpe (left fibula stress reaction) and Vit Krejci (left calf contusion) to questionable for Friday’s showdown with the Clippers, the team announced (via Twitter). Sharpe has been out since February 6, while Krejci last played on March 15. A win on Friday would put Portland in the driver’s seat for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference standings heading into Sunday’s regular season finale.
- Anthony Edwards has played in just two of the Timberwolves‘ past 12 games due to a knee injury and an illness, but the team remains hopeful he’ll suit up for at least one of its games this weekend. Edwards is listed as questionable for Friday’s contest in Houston, per the Wolves (Twitter link), and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) thinks he’ll probably play as long as things go well at shootaround. Starting center Rudy Gobert, meanwhile, will sit out a second straight game for rest purposes after playing in 76 of Minnesota’s first 79 games this season.
And-Ones: NBA Awards Picks, G League Awards
Reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander claims two awards on the unofficial ballot of Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports: MVP and Clutch Player of the Year.
To be clear, Devine does have an official vote for year-end awards, but those ballots aren’t sent out until the regular season concludes on April 12. Devine also notes that he may be forced to change some of his picks, depending on which players are eligible.
Victor Wembanyama, for example, needs to play at least 20 minutes in one of San Antonio’s remaining two games to be eligible for awards consideration. The French big man is Devine’s choice for Defensive Player of the Year and is his runner-up for MVP, ahead of Nikola Jokic.
Kon Knueppel (Rookie of the Year) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Most Improved Player) are a couple of Devine’s other awards picks.
Here are a few more awards-related stories and announcements:
- There’s quite a bit of overlap between Devine’s awards picks and the tentative selections of Zach Harper of The Athletic. Both writers have Joe Mazzulla, J.B. Bickerstaff and Mitch Johnson as the three finalists, in order of how they finish, for Coach of the Year, and Keldon Johnson, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tim Hardaway Jr. as their top three picks for Sixth Man of the Year.
- Michael Pina of The Ringer lists his three All-NBA, two All-Defensive, and two All-Rookie teams. Pina’s first-team All-NBA picks are Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama and Jokic; his All-Defensive First Team selections are Wembanyama, Derrick White, Scottie Barnes, Ausar Thompson and Chet Holmgren; and his top-five rookies are Knueppel, Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper and Derik Queen.
- The NBA G League has announced its All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams, which are each comprised of five players (Twitter links via the NBA). The All-Defensive selections are Jamarion Sharp (Texas Legends), Chris Manon (South Bay Lakers), Alijah Martin (Raptors 905), Andersson Garcia (Mexico City Capitanes) and Jalen Slawson (Noblesville Boom), while the All-Rookie team consists of Raptors 905 standout Martin, Norchad Omier and Sean Pedulla of the San Diego Clippers, Keshon Gilbert (College Park Skyhawks) and RJ Davis (South Bay Lakers). Martin, Manon, Slawson (Pacers), Omier and Pedulla are on two-way contracts with their respective NBA teams.
Victor Wembanyama, Ausar Thompson Win Defensive Awards For March
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for a third straight time. After winning the award for January and February, Wembanyama has also claimed it for March, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The overwhelming favorite to be this season’s Defensive Player of the Year, Wembanyama continued to anchor one of the league’s best defenses across 15 outings in March, racking up a league-high 56 blocks (3.7 per game) and 20 steals (1.3 per game) for the month. According to the league, the star big man also ranked second in the league by contesting 11.6 per game in March as he led San Antonio to a 14-1 record (the Spurs lost a second game in which he didn’t play).
While Wembanyama is the only player to win three Defensive Player of the Month awards this season, Pistons wing Ausar Thompson joins him as the league’s only other multi-time winner, having earned the Eastern Conference honor for March. Thompson was also the East’s Defensive Player of the Month in January.
Thompson now leads the NBA in steals per game after racking up 32 in 13 March appearances (2.5 per game). In addition to ranking first in steals per game for the month, he also led the league in deflections per game, with 4.8, and contributed 1.1 blocks per night as well.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other Western Conference nominees included four usual suspects – Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Clippers guard Kris Dunn, and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren – along with one surprise: Lakers guard Luka Doncic.
In the East, Thompson beat out fellow nominees Scottie Barnes of the Raptors, Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers, OG Anunoby of the Knicks, and Hawks teammates Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels.
And-Ones: All-Defense, G League Playoffs, Acuff, Fertitta
Yahoo Sports contributor Nekias Duncan lists his picks for the two All-Defensive teams (as of March 27). Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo and Derrick White comprise Duncan’s first team, while Cason Wallace, Stephon Castle, Dyson Daniels, Scottie Barnes and Marcus Smart are on the second.
Duncan also cites nine honorable mentions who didn’t quite make the cut, including Evan Mobley, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year. Duncan says Ausar Thompson would replace Smart if he qualifies; the third-year forward needs to play at least 20 minutes in seven of Detroit’s last eight games to be eligible (Smart may not qualify either due to the requirements of the 65-game rule).
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The 16-team field and schedule for the NBA G League playoffs has been set, the league announced in a press release. The Osceola Magic (26-10) are the top seed in the Eastern Conference, while the South Bay Lakers (26-10) are the No. 1 seed in the West. The NBAGL playoffs feature a single-elimination tournament until the finals, which is best-of-three. Osceola and the Stockton Kings (23-13, the third seed in the West) faced off in last year’s finals, with Stockton winning the title.
- Darius Acuff Jr. is widely projected to be a top-nine pick in the upcoming draft and one NBA general manager recently told Marc J. Spears of Andscape he thinks the Arkansas guard is the third-best prospect in the 2026 class, behind BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and UNC’s Caleb Wilson. Razorbacks head coach John Calipari, who has coached numerous future NBA stars in college, says teams would be foolish to pass over Acuff, a first-team All-American as a freshman. “Pass on him, you’ll regret it,” Calipari told Andscape. “I said it about Tyrese (Maxey). I’ve said it about a bunch of guys. I said it about Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander): ‘You’re going to regret passing on this kid.’ And I know there are other good players, but this kid (Acuff) is unique.”
- Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta and his family have reached an agreement to purchase the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and relocate the team to Houston, confirms Alexa Philippou of ESPN. Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine first reported the news. The plan is for the Sun to finish 2026 in Connecticut before relocating in 2027. The Fertitta family is spending $300MM to buy the team, which is expected to be called the Comets. The Houston Comets were a WNBA team from 1997-2008.
Northwest Notes: Gobert, Sensabaugh, McCain, Wallace
Rudy Gobert has won four Defensive Player of the Year awards, and Timberwolves coach Chris Finch believes he should capture the trophy again, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter links).
“I think he’s far and away the leader for Defensive Player of the Year,” Finch said.
The oddsmakers disagree. Victor Wembanyama is currently the heavy favorite to win the award, with Chet Holmgren second in the betting. Finch laid out his case for Gobert.
“His iso defense has been the top or near the top all year long,” Finch said. “He drives our defense. The on/off numbers for us speak volumes to his importance. … He takes our defense to a whole ‘nother level. There’s nothing he can’t do defensively.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Jazz wing Brice Sensabaugh knows his future is still up in the air, despite his recent performances. The 2023 first-round pick averaged 15.6 points per game last month and had a 17-point game against Milwaukee on Saturday. However, defense and turnovers have been issues for him. “I have to keep searching for those catch-and-shoot opportunities,” he told Kevin Reynolds of the Salt Lake Tribune. “I want to improve everything except my shooting, to be honest. But like I said, shooting has to be the driving force.” Sensabaugh has one more year on his contract at a $4.86MM salary before he becomes eligible for restricted free agency in 2027.
- Jared McCain admits he was blindsided by the trade that sent him from the Sixers to the Thunder. He thought he could be a long-term fit with Philadelphia, James Herbert of CBS Sports writes. “I definitely thought it could work,” McCain said. “Long-term, I definitely think it could work. I loved playing with them. It was really fun. And I’m going to miss it, too. So I think there was definitely potential there, but they made the best decision for what they thought it was and we’ve just gotta live with it and kind of move on.” McCain has thrived since the trade, averaging 11.7 points in 19.0 minutes per game through 13 appearances with Oklahoma City.
- Thunder guard Cason Wallace has made a strong case for being selected to the All-Defensive Team, according to Sports Illustrated’s Rylan Stiles, who uses advanced analytics to display Wallace’s prowess this season.
Thunder’s Ajay Mitchell Set To Return After 20-Game Absence
The defending champion Thunder will get one of their key reserves back on Monday.
Ajay Mitchell will suit up for Oklahoma City’s game against Denver, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. Mitchell has missed the last 20 games due to an abdominal strain and sprained ankle. The 6’4″ shooting guard, who hasn’t played since Jan. 21, is no longer listed on the team’s injury report.
The 2024 second-round pick established a rotation role prior to the injuries. In 43 appearances, including nine starts, Mitchell averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game. He was also a defensive factor, averaging 1.4 steals per night, and was shooting a solid 48.7 percent from the field (35 percent on three-point tries).
With Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, Alex Caruso and the trade-deadline addition of Jared McCain, the Thunder already had impressive depth at the guard and wing spots. Mitchell will probably play fewer minutes than he did earlier in the season, though he proved to be a reliable backup for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after appearing in just 36 games as a rookie.
The Thunder still have a lengthy injury report for their matchup with the Nuggets, beat writer Rylan Stiles tweets. Isaiah Hartenstein will miss his second straight game due to a calf injury and starting forward Jalen Williams remains out due to a hamstring strain. Caruso (hip) and Chet Holmgren (flu) are listed as questionable.
Wembanyama, White Named Defensive Players Of The Month
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named February’s Defensive Player of the Month for the Western Conference, while Celtics guard Derrick White has earned the honor for the Eastern Conference, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Wembanyama, who is the betting favorite for this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award, led the NBA in blocks per game (3.5) in February, increasing his league-best mark to 2.9 BPG. According to the NBA, he also ranked second in the Western Conference in defensive rebounds per game (9.3) as the Spurs enjoyed a perfect month (11-0).
San Antonio’s league-best +15.1 net rating in February was buoyed by a defensive rating of 106.2, which was the second-best mark in the league and ranked first among Western Conference teams. That rating improved to 100.0 during Wembanyama’s 323 minutes and dipped to 111.1 when he wasn’t on the floor.
Wembanyama was also named the West’s Defensive Player of the Month in January, so he’s the first repeat winner in either conference so far this season.
The Celtics were the only team with an overall defensive rating (105.5) better than the Spurs’ mark in February, and White was a crucial part of that effort. Despite standing just 6’4″, the veteran guard averaged 1.7 blocks per game for the month, which ranked third in the East. He also contested 75 shots, the highest total among guards, per the NBA.
As was the case with Wembanyama in San Antonio, the Celtics posted a defensive rating of just 100.0 when White was on the court in February.
Wembanya’s teammate Stephon Castle was among the other nominees for Defensive Player of the Month in the Western Conference, along with Clippers guard Kris Dunn, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., and Thunder teammates Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace (Twitter link).
Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Knicks forward OG Anunoby, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Pistons wing Ausar Thompson were nominated in the East.
And-Ones: Durant, Olympics, U.S. Roster, Parker, Brooks
Four-time gold medalist Kevin Durant tells Vincent Goodwill of ESPN he wants to represent Team USA again at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The 37-year-old Rockets forward, who is the U.S men’s team’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic competition, did add a caveat, however.
“Hell yeah, I want to play,” Durant said. “I would love to, but I’ve got to stay on top of my game. I’m not expecting, I want to produce on the floor and make (managing director) Grant (Hill) and whoever is making the decisions, want to put me on the team. I don’t want — not just for seniority. I want to still prove I can help the team win.
“Today, yeah I feel like I’ll put my name in that hat.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Speaking of the 2028 Olympics and USA Basketball, Zach Kram of ESPN takes an early look at potential candidates for the Americans’ roster. Kram predicts that Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Jalen Duren, Amen Thompson, Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Tyrese Haliburton, Bam Adebayo and Jayson Tatum will be the 12 players selected (they’re listed by age). Durant could take the final wing spot on the roster, according to Kram, but only if he’s still “engaged and deserving” two-plus years from now.
- Partizan Belgrade is expected to loan former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker to Spanish club Joventut Badalona for the rest of the season, according to a report from Mozzart Sport (hat tip to Sportando). Parker been away from the Serbian club for several weeks, last playing on January 9. The veteran power forward is still under contract with Partizan through 2026/27, though his future with the team is uncertain.
- Shooting guard Armoni Brooks, who played parts of three NBA seasons from 2020-24, has been named MVP of the Italian Cup after helping lead Olimpia Milano to a title in the domestic tournament, per Fabio Cavagnera of RealOlimpiaMilano.com (hat tip to Sportando). The 27-year-old said he “100%” wants to re-sign with the Italian squad.