OKLAHOMA CITY — Following the most demanding game of Victor Wembanyama’s professional career, the towering star had completed his media obligations and briefly visited with his father in a corridor outside San Antonio’s locker room.
Rather than walking back on his own, he accepted a ride — seated in a rolling office chair while a team employee pushed him along.
“Save some steps,” Wembanyama explained.
Given his extraordinary performance that evening, conserving energy made perfect sense.
His 41-point, 24-rebound playoff display placed him among basketball’s most exclusive company — joining Wilt Chamberlain (eight times), Hakeem Olajuwon (twice), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (once), and Charles Barkley (once) as the only players to achieve those numbers in postseason play.
Wembanyama earned his spot on that prestigious list following his spectacular showing — playing a career-high 49 minutes — that powered the Spurs to a 122-115 double-overtime triumph against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Monday’s Western Conference finals opener.
“The best player in the (expletive) world,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle declared during his televised NBC postgame interview.
Technically speaking, that distinction currently belongs to another player. The league’s top performer at present is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who received his second straight Most Valuable Player trophy during pregame festivities while Wembanyama watched from nearby. The French sensation coveted that recognition — and continues to pursue it. Witnessing Gilgeous-Alexander hoist that award clearly impacted the 7-foot-4 competitor.
“He’s competitive. If you’re a competitor and you see another competitor get rewarded with what you want. … If that’s motivation, we all get motivated by different things,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson explained. “As a competitive person, that would be my approach and perspective.”
When asked if the ceremony provided extra motivation, Wembanyama responded thoughtfully.
“I’ve still got a lot to learn,” Wembanyama said. “And I want to get that trophy many times in my career.”
Pressed about whether he considers himself the league’s premier talent, he offered a philosophical response.
“The world is 8 billion people,” Wembanyama said. “That’s 8 billion opinions.”
His statistical output told an impressive story: 14 successful shots on 25 attempts, 12 made free throws on 13 tries, plus a crucial three-pointer during the first extra period that forced a second overtime. Without that long-range shot, Oklahoma City likely would have secured the series opener and taken a 1-0 advantage into Wednesday’s Game 2.
Beyond scoring and rebounding, he rejected three shots while altering numerous others. He threw down powerful dunks and celebrated emphatically on multiple occasions. San Antonio dominated the boards 61-40. The young star even grinned and struck poses for photographers at times. Despite this being his conference finals debut in a hostile environment, he appeared completely at ease.
“I think he’s a great player with high impact obviously, and when you play against those players it’s kind of an acquired thing,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault observed. “You’re learning as you go. We’ve gone through that with other great players.”
San Antonio entered as clear underdogs: playing away from home, missing injured point guard De’Aaron Fox, facing the defending champions who had swept through the opening two playoff rounds. After surrendering a 10-point fourth-quarter advantage, the Spurs appeared headed for defeat against a Thunder squad known for protecting late leads.
However, Wembanyama’s brilliance changed everything. The championship path now runs through San Antonio; if the Spurs protect their home court for the remainder of the playoffs, they’ll claim the NBA title.
While that goal remains distant, this franchise has evolved beyond a developing team. They’ve arrived as legitimate contenders.
“The message would be that we as a team are ready to go into any environment, in any place, against anybody,” Wembanyama stated. “And even though we’ve still got a lot to learn, our effort should be over anybody else’s. And tonight, we were relentless.”
