A pair of former Wildcats have been recognized as two of the best defenders in basketball.<\/p>\n
On Friday night ahead of Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, the Miami Heat\u2019s Bam Adebayo<\/a> and the Oklahoma City Thunder\u2019s Cason Wallace<\/a> were both named to the 2025-26 NBA All-Defensive Second Team. This was Adebayo\u2019s sixth time making an All-Defensive Team and Wallace\u2019s first. <\/p>\n Adebayo, 28, also finished 11th in Defensive Player of the Year voting in what was his ninth NBA season. In 73 games for the Heat, he averaged 20.1 points, 10 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 32.4 minutes per outing. This was his first All-Defensive Team nod since the 2023-24 season, when he came in third in DPOY voting \u2014 still the best finish of his career thus far. Defense is his game, but he also famously scored 83 points in a single game earlier this season, second-most in league history.<\/p>\n Wallace, 22, is in only his third NBA season, but he finished ahead of Adebayo in this season\u2019s DPOY voting, coming in seventh. He averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks in 26.6 minutes per outing across 77 games played for the Thunder. Wallace won\u2019t have much time to celebrate, though \u2014 his Thunder team is looking to break a 1-1 series tie with the San Antonio Spurs during Friday night\u2019s WCF Game 3. <\/p>\n Only one other former Wildcat received an All-Defensive Team vote: back-to-back MVP (and teammate of Wallace) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>, who tallied a whipping one Second-Team vote. Below are the complete All-Defensive Teams. The Spurs\u2019 Victor Wembanyama was previously named this season\u2019s Defensive Player of the Year. <\/p>\n All-Defensive First Team:<\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs<\/p>\n Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons<\/p>\n Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves<\/p>\n Derrick White, Boston Celtics<\/p>\n All-Defensive Second Team:<\/p>\n Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors<\/p>\n Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat<\/p>\n OG Anunoby, New York Knicks<\/p>\n Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks<\/p>\n Additionally, Adebayo was also named the 2025-26 NBA Social Justice Champion and will receive the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy. The league will also donate $100,000 to the Bam, Books & Brotherhood Foundation. Adebayo joins Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> (2023-24) as the former Kentucky players to win this award. <\/p>\n