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NBA Dunk Legend Predicts Award Winner Without Hesitation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Nov 20, 2025 8:14 AM ET

As the 2025-26 NBA season progresses, the battle for the individual awards are also heating up. For MVP, the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic lead the race. Meanwhile, for Rookie of the Year, Kon Knueppel, Cedric Coward, Cooper Flagg and V.J. Edgecombe are names to keep an eye on.

The Defensive Player of the Year race is an interesting one, though. After all, there are several standout defensive stars this campaign, such as Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Dyson Daniels, Amen Thompson and Evan Mobley, to name a few.

Wembanyama leads the league in blocks with 3.6 per game, while Daniels is the NBA leader in steals with 2.3. Holmgren, for his part, has the best defensive win share so far at 0.213.

If you ask former NBA player Nate Robinson, however, none of those three defensive leaders is the DPOY in his eyes. For him, Thompson is a clear-cut above the current crop of candidates.

Former NBA player Nate Robinson practices before a game.Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images

Robinson said as much in an exclusive interview with Athlon Sports, via Casino.org who ranks the best online casinos in Canada.

"Defensive Player of the Year is definitely gonna go to [Amen Thompson]," the three-time NBA Dunk Contest champion shared. "He's been clamping up everybody. He does a good job locking up, nobody wants to dribble the ball around that guy, he never quits on a play. He probably wins Defensive Player of the Year."

To be fair, Thompson currently has the fourth-best odds to win Defensive Player of the Year. The Houston Rockets forward is at +850 to win, behind Holmgren, Wembanyama, Daniels and Mobley, according to FOX Sports.

The Rockets are in the top 10 in defensive rating in the NBA, thanks in large part to Thompson. The 22-year-old is averaging 16.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 block per game. He has the 10th-best defensive win share (0.175) in the NBA, which is better than Mobley and Daniels'.

It remains to be seen if Robinson's prediction will come true, but the 11-year NBA veteran certainly likes what he has seen so far from Thompson.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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