Victor Wembanyama will officially join elite Spurs DPOY list with a historic twist

There are only three players in Spurs history to win Defensive Player of the Year: Alvin Robertson (1986), David Robinson (1992), and Kawhi Leonard twice (2015, 2016). After playing his 65th game tonight, Victor Wembanyama will be adding his name to the list, but he'll be the only one to win the award unanimously. As a matter of fact, there has never been a unanimous winner in NBA history.

The travesty of this revelation is the reminder of Tim Duncan never winning this trophy. We all know that's a stain on the NBA. But other than that, it's all positive vibes for Spurs Nation. No fanbase supports their players like San Antonio, and since Wembanyama made it clear how much he wants these awards, the people want it for him just as badly.

The Alien is on a journey to be the greatest thing the basketball world has ever seen. He's well on his way.

Wembanyama's career is off to a roaring start

The 7'5" xenomorph crash-landed in 2023 and surpassed expectations. He won Rookie of the Year unanimously. It was the first time anyone accomplished the feat since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016. He didn't stop there, though. Wembanyama also made the All-Defensive 1st Team and earned second place in a controversial DPOY race many believed he should have won.

He picked up where he left off as a sophomore and was on his way to his first All-NBA season, where Defensive Player of the Year and All-Defensive team honors were sure to follow. Instead, a blood clot derailed his campaign, and we were left in limbo waiting for the next great legend to take to the hardwood again.

This season, there is no doubt of what's about to take place when the voters cast their ballots. Wembanyama has anchored a top five defense all season. He's defended teams with a range observers have never seen and continued to block shots nobody else in the league stands a chance at stopping.

Wemby is averaging 4 stocks per game—3 blocks and 1 steal. He's also pulling down nearly 10 defensive rebounds per game. That doesn't even account for the way he warps the floor just by existing on it or the shots guys refuse to take when he's what stands between them and a bucket.

He only needed to play 20 minutes tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. He could have sandbagged his performance, knowing that he would cross the eligibility line, but that's not his style. So he gave Dallas 30 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in those 20 minutes, and he's not even done yet. This madman re-entered the game late in the third quarter, clearly dedicated to finishing what he started.

He ended the night with 40 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in 26 minutes. We're still just at the beginning of this crazy journey, folks. Buckle up.