The future has arrived, and he’s 7-foot-4.
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is the odds-on favorite to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He’s averaging 23.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, and 2.9 assists across 49 games (40) starts. The 22-year-old phenom is the engine behind the Spurs’ surprise 46-17 record so far in the 2025-26 season, and he underlined why in San Antonio’s last two outings.
First, the Spurs defeated the 45-16 Detroit Pistons on Thursday. Wemby led all scorers with 38 points and also snagged 16 rebounds and blocked five shots. That win was impressive because the Pistons are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but it was superseded the following night when the Spurs overcame a 25-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 116-112. Wembanyama cried on San Antonio’s home court afterward.
Again, Wembanyama led the Spurs with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks in just 22 minutes against the Clippers.
“I thought I was about to pass out from the first quarter from exhaustion,” the 2023 No. 1 overall pick said on ESPN postgame. “That’s close to being the hardest game of my life. It might have not looked like it. We played a hell of a game against the most physical team in the league yesterday, and played tonight against a physical team as well.”
Wembanyama also told reporters, “I have zero left right now, so I’m glad it didn’t go to overtime. That was one of the best wins. That was one of the best games of my career, of my basketball life, and that was definitely the best 30 hours of basketball — the past 30 hours — of my life, for sure.”
Wembanyama praised his teammates for never giving up and said he “love[s] them so much.”
While Wemby is the centerpiece, the Spurs have done a remarkable job of building around him. In 2024, San Antonio used the No. 4 overall pick on guard Stephon Castle, who won a national championship with UConn. In July 2024, San Antonio prioritized veteran depth and executed a three-team trade to acquire NBA champion Harrison Barnes, and the Spurs went back to the Sacramento well again in February 2025 to acquire All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox. In the 2025 NBA Draft, the Spurs spent the No. 2 overall pick on guard Dylan Harper.
All of that has landed the Spurs in prime position to contend for this year’s title. With a month left in the regular season, San Antonio is only 2.5 games behind the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (49-15) for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
