Victor Wembanyama created history after he became the first-ever player to be named the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year. The San Antonio Spurs star won the honor on 20th April, at 22 years old, also making him the youngest ever to win the award. 

Wemby was almost certain to win the award, but it wasn’t without struggles in the season. He has played just 64 games in the regular season, but his NBA Cup Finals appearance, which doesn't count for the 82-game mark, helped him reach 65 games. 

“The real struggle might have been getting to 65 games,” Wembanyama said on NBC Sports Network. “But I’m super, super happy to win this award and actually super proud to be the first-ever unanimous.”

The Spurs star is just in his third season, and he has been in the DPOY conversation every season since his rookie year. He finished 2nd in his first year, was leading the race in the second year, but became ineligible after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and was limited to 46 games. 

The Frenchman received all of 100 first-place votes, totaling 500 points. OKC Thunder center Chet Holmgren finished 2nd with 239 points, ahead of 3rd place finisher Ausar Thompson, who totaled just 60 points. 

Moreover, Wemby’s win was historic in several categories. He also becomes the third player, after David Robinson and Michael Jordan, to win both the Rookie of the Year award and the DPOY. It also makes the Spurs the first team in league history to have four DPOY wins. 

But this is not the only unanimous award that Wembanyama has won in his career. He was also named the unanimous ROTY. 

Victor Wembanyama shines in his first playoff game

This season for Wembanyama hasn’t ended yet. After leading his team to the second-best record in the league, the NBA big man is eying his first NBA title. Additionally, the Spurs are considered the closest challenger to the OKC Thunder, having beaten them several times in the regular season. 

The Spurs opened their playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers with a win, and the Alien led the charge. In a 111-98 score in Game 1, Wembanyama logged 35 points on 13 of 21 shooting, including going 5 of 6 from the 3-point line. 

He broke Tim Duncan’s franchise record of 32 points in his playoff debut set in 1998. He also had 21 points in the first half, which is also a new record in a playoff debut. 

With a strong start, the Spurs are just solidifying their case as a potential title winner. Can they do it? With a strong supporting cast led by Wembanyama, it doesn’t seem out of question.

Read more at the Air Jordan Chronicles!

Written by

Nandjee Ranjan