Alpha Diallo Named EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year 2025-26

Alpha Diallo has been recognized as the EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year for 2025-26, an award decided by vote among the competition's head coaches that rewards the AS Monaco player's enormous impact throughout the entire season.

The Monegasque small forward, who finished third in last year's voting, has now made the definitive leap after leading one of the most aggressive and versatile defenses in the tournament. His ability to defend multiple positions, switch on screens, anticipate passing lanes, and contain vastly different offensive profiles made him an essential piece within Monaco's system.

In his fifth consecutive EuroLeague season, all of them with the Principality club, Diallo delivered the most complete defensive campaign of his career. He finished second in the entire competition in steals with 1.34 per game, started in all 38 regular season games, and added valuable offensive production with 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per night.

Advanced metrics also support his dominance. According to Synergy Sports, Diallo earned an "excellent" rating in overall defense, individual matchup defense, and pressure situations. Additionally, he led all wings in the competition in points allowed per possession (0.844) and ranked among the top specialists defending the ball handler in pick-and-roll situations, allowing just 0.706 points per possession.

With Diallo as the reference point, AS Monaco was one of the most difficult teams to attack in the entire league: fourth in turnovers forced (13.2 per game), fifth in opponent rating allowed (91.1), and also fifth in steals (6.8 per game).

In the final voting, Nicolo Melli finished second, while Thomas Walkup took third place. Walter Tavares came in fourth and Jerian Grant rounded out the Top 5.

With this recognition, Diallo enters the prestigious list of award winners, historically dominated by Dimitris Diamantidis, who holds six awards. Also notable are Tavares and Kyle Hines with three titles each, as well as Bryant Dunston with two. For Diallo, this trophy confirms his establishment as one of the great defensive specialists in the current EuroLeague.