Frenchman from the San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama received the trophy for best defender of the NBA season on Monday. The 2.24 m pivot becomes at 22 the youngest player to win the statuette, while awaiting a possible MVP title for which he is in the running.
Published on: 04/21/2026 - 00:56 Modified on: 04/21/2026 - 15:33
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A new auspicious coronation before the designation of the MVP? The French pivot of the San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama won the trophy for best defender of the NBA season on Monday April 20, becoming at 22 the youngest player to win the statuette.
The coronation of the 2.24 meter giant was expected as he dominated: he was selected as first choice (out of three) by the entire panel of journalists including Agence France-Presse (AFP), indicates the North American league on X. A first since the introduction of this award during the 1982-1983 season.
He succeeds Cleveland inside Evan Mobley, crowned last year having taken advantage of the ineligibility of Wembanyama, victim of venous thrombosis which ended his season in February.
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Before Spurs' No. 1, two French people were distinguished for their defense, Rudy Gobert (2018, 2019, 2021, 2024) and Joakim Noah (2014).
Wembanyama presents a unique defensive threat, thanks to the combination of his size and mobility, which has carried the San Antonio Spurs to second place in the Western Conference, well beyond expectations at the start of the season.
He averaged 3.1 blocks per game during the regular season, ranking first in that category by far. He totaled as many as 9 blocks in one game, during an overtime victory against the Pelicans in October.
Accustomed to breaking precocity records
Elected rookie of the year in 2024 at the end of his first year, “Wemby” covets another trophy this season, that of MVP, the most prestigious. With 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds in less than 30 minutes per game (29.2), he signed his most complete stat line.
He is one of three finalists with the outgoing Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), and the Serbian Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), already three times awarded (2021, 2022, 2024).
At the end of March, Wembanyama supported his candidacy against his two competitors known to be top scorers, recalling that defense represented “50% of the match”.
The date of the announcement of the winner has not yet been specified by the NBA.
Accustomed to breaking precocious records, the Frenchman became on this occasion the youngest winner of the best defender trophy, ahead of five other players rewarded at the age of 23, including Mobley, Dwight Howard and Kawhi Leonard.
Also read: Victor Wembanyama, an MVP season for the young Frenchman from Spurs?
He also won the title of best Western Conference defender of the month three times this season (January, February, March).
In the coming weeks, another cup will occupy his mind: the Larry O'Brien trophy for the NBA champion.
For his play-off debut, Wembanyama scored 35 points on Sunday in a home victory against the Portland Trail Blazers, before a new duel on Tuesday. If he qualifies for the semi-finals, he could cross paths with Jokic's Nuggets, or Gobert's Timberwolves.
With AFP
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