Wembanyama and Holmgren headline NBA's All-Defensive First Team
The NBA has unveiled its 2025-26 All-Defensive Teams, with Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs the only unanimous selection on the First Team. The 21-year-old French centre achieved the recognition in his second season, becoming one of the youngest players to earn First-Team All-Defensive honours.
Wembanyama was joined on the First Team by Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics, Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dyson Daniels of the Memphis Grizzlies. The five players topped the league's defensive metrics across blocks, deflections, opponent field-goal percentage and team defensive rating.
Wembanyama averaged 3.6 blocks and 1.4 steals per game across the regular season, posting three or more blocks in 47 games. According to NBA Advanced Stats, the second-year player ranked in the league's top three in all three categories. Although the Spurs were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals fourth game, Wembanyama remained the defensive anchor of his team throughout the playoffs.
Chet Holmgren returned from injury mid-season to anchor the Thunder's defensive system as their primary rim protector. The 23-year-old averaged 2.9 blocks per game and shot 58 per cent from the field. Oklahoma City posted the league's best defensive rating between February and May, the stretch coinciding with Holmgren's return to the rotation.
Jrue Holiday, despite his 34 years, delivered an elite perimeter defensive season for the Celtics. The veteran guard limited opposing high-usage players to scoring possessions that lasted on average more than 2.1 seconds longer than league average. The honour is Holiday's sixth First-Team All-Defensive selection.
Evan Mobley played both power forward and centre in Cleveland's rotation, taking on a versatile role at both interior and perimeter positions. The 23-year-old was a mid-season finalist for the league's Defensive Player of the Year award. Despite the Cavaliers' exit in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, Mobley's individual season was widely praised.
Dyson Daniels earned his first All-Defensive selection. The 22-year-old Australian guard finished in the league's top three for steals per game, averaging 2.1 takeaways, while also leading the Memphis Grizzlies in deflections per game.
The Second Team comprised Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets, Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings, Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors and Andrew Nembhard of the Indiana Pacers. Gobert's selection marks his eighth career All-Defensive Team appearance, the most of any active player in NBA history.
The broader Defensive Player of the Year award is expected to be announced in the coming days, with the league's panel weighing Wembanyama against Holmgren and Mobley as the leading candidates. The Spurs and head coach Gregg Popovich have not yet made formal comments through club channels.
The 2026-27 NBA season will begin in October, and Wembanyama's defensive metrics are likely to feature prominently in season preview reporting across the league. This article is general information; sports analytics and individual player projections may evolve over the course of the season.