Victor Wembanyama’s defensive dominance is no longer a projection, it is now a reality the entire league has acknowledged.
Even before he officially claimed the award, there were already whispers about how inevitable his rise would be on that end of the floor.
And as it turns out, at least one NBA veteran saw this coming well before the rest of the league caught up.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne recalled that moment via her X handle, highlighting just how far back the belief goes.
“Two years ago I was debating voting for Wemby for DPOY and asked an accomplished veteran player for his opinion. I’ll never forget what he said,” Shelburne wrote.
“‘This was the last year anyone else had a chance,’ the player said. Once he wins DPOY, he will win every year. In the end they’ll want to name it after him,” she added.
The statement now feels less like a bold prediction and more like an early acknowledgment of what was coming.
Wembanyama’s defensive presence has consistently separated him, turning games into mismatches simply through his impact.
That prediction fully materialized in 2026, when Wembanyama was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in unanimous fashion.
He became the first player in league history to sweep every single first-place vote for the award, a reflection of how clear the gap had become between him and the rest of the field.
Across the season, he anchored one of the league’s top defenses while leading the NBA in blocks and consistently altering shots well beyond the stat sheet.
Opponents were forced to adjust entire offensive schemes around his presence, often avoiding the paint altogether when he was on the floor.
At just the early stage of his career, that level of control on the defensive end has already started to redefine expectations for the position.
If anything, the only question now is not whether he can win again, but how long he can keep doing it.
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