NASA Jokes About Victor Wembanyama Winning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama's unanimous Defensive Player of the Year award win got a vote of support from NASA.

The U.S. government agency responded Tuesday to a Nike social media post celebrating Wembanyama's win.

Wembanyama has expressed interest in NASA's work before. He took a tour of the agency's research center in Houston last August, then sent a message to astronauts on the recent Artemis II flight around the moon earlier this month.

Wembanyama, who turned 22 in January, is the youngest winner in the Defensive Player of the Year award's history.

He beat out the Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren and Detroit Pistons' Ausar Thompson for the honor after leading the NBA with 3.1 blocks per game this season.

He also put averaged a steal per contest while helping the Spurs finish the regular season with the third-best defensive rating in the NBA.

The Spurs are now hoping Wembanyama and his eight-foot wingspan can help carry them past the Portland Trail Blazers and into the second round of the 2026 playoffs.

Wembanyama set a Spurs franchise record with 35 points against the Portland Trail Blazers in his Sunday playoff debut on Sunday. He could help the Spurs climb out to a 2-0 series lead when Game 2 tips off Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET in San Antonio.