With his selection to the All-Defensive First Team yesterday, Victor Wembanyama became the first player in NBA history to achieve this alongside winning Rookie of the Year. Until now, no player had ever received both honors in the same season. Enter Victor Wembanyama.
An Impressive and Unique Achievement
The 20-year-old French center achieved a feat that many great players before him could not: 98 out of 99 voters selected him to the All-Defensive First Team. This season, Wembanyama played 71 games, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game.
Joining an Elite Group
Completing the All-Defensive First Team are Anthony Davis of the Lakers (his fifth selection), Rudy Gobert of Minnesota (his seventh), Bam Adebayo of Miami, and Herb Jones of New Orleans. Wembanyama is the sixth rookie to be named to an All-Defensive Team, but the previous ones were only named to the second team. This elite list includes David Robinson in 1990 and Tim Duncan in 1998, both from the Spurs, Manute Bol from Washington in 1986, Hakeem Olajuwon from Houston in 1985, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with Milwaukee in 1970.
