Third-year San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama was in tears Tuesday night after his team lost to the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup Final. According to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss, Wemby learned Tuesday morning that his grandmother had passed away in France.
The shot-blocking phenom answered only two questions in his post-game press conference as he was overcome with emotions.
“I’m sorry, I lost somebody today,” said the Frenchman as he held back tears.
The NBA community sent its thoughts and prayers to the generational talent.
Wemby, Spurs Fall Short
In just his second game back from a calf strain that sidelined him for nearly a month, Wemby came off the bench and contributed 18 points, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal. However, unlike the semifinal win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he didn’t have a positive net rating and was a team-worst minus-18 on the floor.
His plus-minus took a blow in large part due to the fourth quarter, when the Knicks outscored the Spurs, 35-19, to rally back after an evenly-contested game through the first three periods. De’Aaron Fox also finished a -16 in the fourth quarter.
Before leaving the news conference in tears, Wemby said his young team got “the experience” they needed that will prepare them for a playoff run.
“I guess it is the best practice for important games because of course our focus is already on the playoffs and that’s the biggest time,” Wembanyama said, via ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “The playoffs are going to be the biggest time of the year. So, I guess it’s good that we got this experience, too.”
Spurs Future Bright
Despite the loss, the Spurs have every reason to feel optimistic about their future, having made their best 25-game start to a season (18-7) since the 2016-17 campaign.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson knows his squad is in a unique spot. After missing the playoffs for six years, they’re suddenly viewed as one of the elite teams in the West.
“I feel like when you have the expectation to win, obviously it means more when you don’t,” Johnson said of the Spurs, via ESPN.
“I would say the uncomfortable part is just when you had expectations to win and then you don’t, just how you respond to that is different, because in past years we didn’t have the expectation to [win]. It was different than how
It’s worth noting that Tuesday’s NBA Cup Final marked just the second game of the season when the Spurs were whole. After starting the season without Fox, the Spurs lost rookie sensation Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle and Wemby at various points to injuries. Harper highlighted this fact after the loss to the Knicks.
“Sky is the limit,” Harper said of the Spurs.
“It’s our second game [all together again]. It’s nothing to overreact about. We have won a lot of close games in the Cup or in the season in general. To be on this side is definitely a good learning experience. It teaches us a lot about ourselves, and it’s good that we have a whole lot of room to grow knowing what we have done up to this point.”
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