Overview
- The NBA published the 2025–26 All‑Defensive First and Second Teams and full voting breakdown on Friday, naming Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Ausar Thompson, Rudy Gobert and Derrick White to the First Team.
- Wembanyama was the lone unanimous First‑Team selection after sweeping all 100 first‑place media votes and totaling the maximum 200 points, cementing his earlier unanimous Defensive Player of the Year honor.
- Vote totals show Holmgren finished second with 93 first‑place votes (190 points) and Ausar Thompson third with 72 first‑place votes (166 points), details that underline how voters prioritized rim protection and team defensive impact.
- The announcement prompted public pushback over perceived snubs, with Knicks coach Mike Brown saying OG Anunoby was ‘‘robbed’’ after he landed on the Second Team, a dispute that spotlights ongoing questions about how voters treat versatile wings versus traditional big defenders.
- The league also named Bam Adebayo the NBA Social Justice Champion and will donate $100,000 to his Bam, Books & Brotherhood Foundation, while Thompson’s First‑Team nod marked the first Pistons All‑Defensive selection since 2007–08 and the franchise’s first First‑Team honor since 2005–06.