Victor Wembaynama Now Ineligible To Win NBA Defensive Player Of The Year

The San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama were dealt a tough blow on Thursday when it was announced that the star center would miss the rest of the 2024-25 NBA season due to injury. The team’s attempt at climbing into the Play-In Tournament is likely over, as is Wembanyama’s bid to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Wembanyama Ineligible To Win DPOY Award In 2024-25

Wembanyama had a massive lead on the rest of the field when it came to being the best defensive player this season. After leading the league in blocks his rookie season, he improved on his average in order to deny 3.8 shots per game in 2024-25, and was nabbing better than one steal per, as well. After finishing second to Rudy Gobert in DPOY voting last year, Wembanyama appeared to be a shoo-in for this season’s honors, listed by sportsbooks as a -600 favorite (85% implied odds).

San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss reminder of the season with a deep vein thrombosis in right shoulder.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2025

But the NBA’s recent rule change will now take him out of the running. According to the parameters set in place last season, players must participate in 65 or more games in order to be eligible for postseason awards. Wembanyama will finish his season nearly 20 games short of that mark, as he will finish with a posted total of 46 in 2024-25.

Now, the DPOY award is a two-man race. At least for now. Jaren Jackson Jr. is now the favorite at -180, but is followed closely by Evan Mobley at +130. The long shots now become guys like Dyson Daniels (+1200) and Lu Dort (+1800), with MVP-favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+4500) rounding out the top-5.

Spurs Confident In A Full Recovery

Victor Wembanyama was diagnosed with a deep vain thrombosis in his right shoulder, or more simply known as a blood clot. The ailment was discovered during the All-Star break, when Wembanyama was having low energy, which led to the tests that revealed the diagnosis.

The Spurs are confident that he will be ready to go at the start of next season, but there will be some caution during his recovery. The deep vain thrombosis is what former NBA All-Star Chris Bosh was diagnosed with during his career, which effectively ended his playing days.