Wembanyama, who will not turn 23 until next January, is the youngest player ever to win the award. He joins David Robinson and Michael Jordan as the only players to win both Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. The Spurs now have the most DPOY winners of any franchise, with Alvin Robertson (1986), David Robinson (1992), Kawhi Leonard (2015, 2016), and Wembanyama.
' No player in at least the last 50 seasons has won two major individual awards unanimously; Wembanyama previously won Rookie of the Year unanimously in 2024. This is only the 10th known unanimous pick across any major individual NBA award. LeBron James and Michael Jordan never achieved a unanimous major award victory.
Wembanyama is also a finalist for the MVP award alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. Chet Holmgren finished second in DPOY voting, with Ausar Thompson third. Votes were cast by a panel of reporters and broadcasters before the playoffs.