Victor Wembanyama Breaks Records With NBA All-Defensive Team Nod

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has made history by becoming the first rookie to be voted to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team. The league unveiled the voting results on Tuesday, with Wembanyama receiving 98 out of a possible 99 first-team votes. This accolade adds to an impressive list of achievements in his debut NBA season.

Rudy Gobert, the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, was the only unanimous first-team selection. Gobert and Wembanyama were joined on the first team by Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo, Los Angeles Lakers' Anthony Davis, and New Orleans Pelicans' Herb Jones. Gobert was voted All-Defence for the seventh time in his career, all on the first team. Adebayo, long considered a top-tier defender, was selected to the first team for the first time in his career.

Even veteran players appreciated Wembanyama's rookie campaign. "Coming into this league, obviously he had high expectations because he's 7-3 and shooting step-back 3s. I think a lot of people paid attention more to that than what he actually did on the defensive end," Adebayo said of Wembanyama. "So, for him to get first team, first come around, it's obviously a great accolade for him."

Wembanyama led the league with 3.58 blocked shots per game, over a block more per game than any other player. The towering Frenchman was also eighth in the league at 10.6 rebounds per game and ranked in the top 25 with 1.24 steals per game.

2023-24 @kia NBA All-Defensive First Team The first rookie to make first-team All-Defense and youngest in league history! pic.twitter.com/qTb8Wrt5cn

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 21, 2024

Position-less Voting System

This season marked the introduction of position-less voting for the All-Defence teams, leading to a strong preference for interior defenders. However, perimeter players were well-represented on the second team. The Chicago Bulls' Alex Caruso, Orlando Magic's Jalen Suggs, Minnesota Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels, and Boston Celtics' backcourt mates Jrue Holiday and Derrick White were voted to the All-Defensive Second Team.

Upcoming Announcements

The league will announce its three All-NBA teams on Wednesday.