Playing through pain and uncertainty, while the fear of what happened last season loomed, has finally put one San Antonio Spurs superstar in the stratosphere. Victor Wembanyama is the fourth franchise star to claim the Defensive Player of the Year award, and he is also the first player in the award’s 43-year history to win the honor by unanimous vote. It was a campaign two years in the making that has finally ended in a well-deserved win, one that is all the more sweet for the French phenom.
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At just 22, Wemby swept all 100 first-place votes in the official ballot, a feat that eluded legends like Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, Dwight Howard, and Rudy Gobert. While the world marveled at his league-leading 3.1 blocks per game and a defensive gravity that forced opponents to simply abandon the paint, Wemby revealed that his biggest triumph wasn’t the trophy itself, but the grueling fight just to be eligible for it.
“The real struggle might have been getting to 65 games,” Wembanyama told the NBC crew with his mom next to him to celebrate the moment. “I’m super, super happy to win this award and actually super proud to be the first ever unanimous.” The unanimous distinction is a staggering testament to his dominance. The Spurs surrendered 103.6 points per 100 possessions with Wemby on the floor, compared to 113.7 per 100 when he was off. San Antonio also established a top-four defensive rating (102.1) courtesy of the Frenchman. He is also the youngest DPOY winner and the first Spur to win the award since Kawhi Leonard (2015 and 2016). David Robinson (1992) and Alvin Robertson (1986) were the first two winners from San Antonio.
Chet Holmgren finished a distant second with 76 second-place votes and 11 third-place votes. Ausar Thompson ranked next in line with nine second-place votes and 33 third-place votes. Wemby, though, is also one of three finalists for the MVP award this season, aiming to win both titles in a single season since Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019-20).
Victor Wembanyama on his thoughts on the 65-game rule 🤔 "If a guy plays 50 games, 35 minutes per game... If a guy plays 75 games, 20 minutes... It's a good view in my opinion to not have a limit... 75% of the games might be a logical thing, and that would be... 61.5 games, so Show more
The “struggle” Wemby referenced was not an exaggeration. For much of April, it appeared the Spurs’ center might fall victim to the NBA’s 65-game minimum rule, the same policy that disqualified him from the race last year.
Victor Wembanyama’s struggles were visible to everyone, and here’s how he battled through them
Victor Wembanyama had done enough to convince voters in the 2024-25 season in just 46 games. But a life-threatening blood clot issue cut that campaign short. He wasn’t deterred. He trained at a Shaolin temple in China, worked under former DPOY Hakeem Olajuwon, and came back to the Spurs renewed. But it was still difficult to meet the player participation mandate requirements. Throughout that, he took subtle jabs at the NBA’s 65-game policy. Wemby missed several games in November due to a calf strain, leaving a very small margin for ‘load management’, which the Spurs have perfected to an art form.
But even the Spurs, who prioritized player longevity over awards, were toeing a fine line to help Wemby make history. He entered the final week sitting at 63 games, needing to play in two of the final three contests to secure his hardware. Disaster nearly struck during an April 6 matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers…
Wemby suffered a significant bruised left rib and shoulder injury after colliding with Paul George. He clutched his left side in visible agony and made multiple trips to the locker room. Despite the risk to his long-term health, the competitive fire and the looming 65-game threshold forced a difficult decision. He missed the following game against Portland but had to return for the regular-season finale against the Dallas Mavericks on April 12. He ended up playing 26 minutes. After several near misses, he finally secured his eligibility for the DPOY and MVP race with 65 games.
Wemby told Vince Carter and the NBC crew that seeing Hakeem Olajuwon’s plaques as the all-time leader in blocked shots was personally motivating. Olajuwon told his mentee he’d beat him soon if he took it, “one step at a time.”
It reflects a long-term goal to stay healthy despite the odds stacked against him. For now, that first step involved a historic unanimous vote and a battle against his own body that proved he is as durable as he is dominant.
