Victor Wembanyama has been named to the 2025-26 All-NBA First Team, the latest stamp on a season that already includes a Defensive Player of the Year trophy and a steady stream of viral highlights at Frost Bank Center. The 22-year-old center picks up his first All-NBA nod in just his third season, a personal breakthrough that also signals San Antonio’s rebuild is arriving right on schedule.
The NBA placed Wembanyama on the Kia All-NBA First Team alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Dončić, Cade Cunningham and Nikola Jokić, according to NBC Sports. The league announced the teams Sunday ahead of San Antonio’s Western Conference Finals matchup, and Wembanyama received near-universal support from the media panel. The selection underscores how quickly the 7-foot-4 center has gone from high-ceiling prospect to bona fide superstar.
Wembanyama’s All-NBA nod comes on the heels of his unanimous Defensive Player of the Year win, which also made him the youngest player in league history to claim the award, as reported by The Associated Press. Voters were convinced by his rim protection and game-altering presence, and he finished the regular season as the NBA’s block leader. The Spurs have kept celebrations relatively low key while the playoffs roll on, but the accolades have clearly raised the bar in San Antonio.
Wembanyama's numbers
The box score backs up the hype. Wembanyama appeared in 64 regular-season games and averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists, while leading the league with 3.08 blocks per game and adding about 1.03 steals, per season data compiled by StatMuse. Those totals made him one of the rare players to average at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks in a single season. He did it in just 29.2 minutes per game, fueling constant talk about his efficiency and two-way impact.
What it means for the Spurs
The honor makes Wembanyama only the fifth player in franchise history to earn All-NBA First Team recognition and the first Spur to do it since Kawhi Leonard’s 2016-17 selection, according to a franchise history roundup on NBA.com. For a club that chose to rebuild around youth and defense, his selection is a strong signal that the Spurs are moving from long-term project to legitimate contender. The organization’s cautious approach with his minutes now looks less like patience and more like smart planning, validated by both the individual hardware and the team’s continued postseason push.
Local outlets and fans in San Antonio have been tracking Wembanyama’s rise all season, and KSAT’s coverage of the league announcement captured the immediate hometown reaction and the statistical milestones that came with the honors, per KSAT. City rallies, sellouts at Frost Bank Center and a steady buzz on social media have accompanied the Spurs’ playoff run, with Wembanyama’s defense becoming a recurring talking point. Inside the locker room, though, players and coaches insist the only numbers that matter are the ones on the scoreboard.
As the Spurs work their way through the Western Conference bracket, Wembanyama’s first-team status and defensive hardware add another storyline that national outlets like NBC Sports are following closely. Whether these honors foreshadow a deep postseason payoff or simply lock in Wembanyama’s place among the league’s elite will be decided on the court, but for now San Antonio fans have plenty to cheer as the next tipoff approaches.
