標籤: Vembanyama

At this point, it appears the MVP race is limited to just four players: Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wambayama.

This is certainly one of the closest contests in NBA history, and it could go down to the last game of the regular season.

Of these four, Vembanyama may be the underdog – as crazy as it sounds. He acknowledged that at the moment, “it’s still fair to have debate” over who should be named MVP. However, he is eager to change it.

“My goal is to make sure there’s no debate at the end of the season,” the two-time All-Star said.

When 22-year-old Vembanyama was asked to give three arguments for winning the trophy, he gave a thoughtful answer that should get him more votes.

“My first suggestion would be that defense is 50% of the game, and it’s been underrated so far in your race. I believe I’m the most dominant player defensively in the league,” Vembanyama said in a video posted by Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

“My second argument would be that we have almost swept OKC on the season. We have dominated them three times with their actual team and four times with their rotation players. My third argument would be that the impact of the offense is not just points.”

Asked Wembley to provide his 3 campaign bullet points on why he should be MVP https://t.co/HjRppaPLfY pic.twitter.com/FHXrFMjAi3

– Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) 24 March 2026

Vembanyama practically dropped the mic with his sharp response.

With him remaining relatively healthy, the Spurs ended their six-year playoff drought. As he noted, his overall impact on both ends of the floor is hard to overstate.

Wembanyama admits he is one of them, and he has a good chance to surpass former Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose and become the youngest MVP in league history.

The 2025-26 season has been a great one for the San Antonio Spurs, as they have risen to the top of the NBA totem pole and become one of the best teams in the association. And it’s not just that Spurs are the Victor Wembanyama show; They have such a young and deep team that it can hit on all cylinders even if Vembanyama withdraws, and their 54-18 record on the season is the furthest thing from a fluke situation as it could be.

But make no mistake, Spurs’ title hopes will hinge on Wembanyama and how far he can take this team, as franchise greats Tim Duncan and David Robinson did before him.

And prominent media member Bill Simmons, who has been a renowned student of the game for decades, believes Wembanyama is already keeping pace with some of the all-time greats compared to a similar point in his career.

“There’s only been three years two guys have won titles that were first-team All-NBA, which was ’99 (Tim) Duncan, ’81 (Larry) Bird, and ’71 Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar). I’m only mentioning it because I think he’s in that league,” Simmons said of Wambanyama on the latest episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast.

“And it feels weird to have all these names from the first 80 years in the league and be like holy man, these are the best names we have but I think that’s what we’re seeing.”

Only time will tell whether Vembanyama will be able to overcome this problem like those players did early in his career. After all, standing in his way is the Oklahoma City Thunder. But if there is anyone who has shown enough individual excellence to deserve consideration, it is the Spurs star.

The good thing is that the Spurs had a poor performance in the first two seasons of Wembanyama’s career, giving them an opportunity to fill the roster with quality players. This makes him one of the best contenders in the association, and could make Simmons look like a visionary once again.

San Antonio Spurs fans have become accustomed to seeing Victor Wembanyama lay down some of the toughest hits on defenders in the NBA. However, the same seems to be true for his teammates, with Luke Kornet revealing a hilarious story about a specific practice dunk that caused him to struggle.

According to a post on X by ClutchPoints, the 30-year-old revealed that in September, he was making a lot of ‘handoffs’ to shooters during practice, which led to a block he was particularly proud of.

Luke Cornette going up against Wembley in practice 🤣👽

“September was a tough month… There was a transition period, Steph Castle was driving, it was him and Vic… Steph just threw it off the backboard… I was told he made it.”

(via @whitenoisepod_)pic.twitter.com/S1u61B0OrY

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 16 March 2026

He revealed, “We were playing pickup games in the gym four days a week. I was making a lot of handoffs to shooters throughout the month of September because I felt like that was the only way I could get something done. I made a block that was unbelievable, coming from the three-point line, coming forward and I think was closing something down.”

However, the second time, Wembley simply looked down as Stephen Cassel towered over him to throw down a dunk.

“There was a time in transition, Steph Castle was driving, it was him and Vic, two-on-one against me, already no good places to be. Steph just threw it off the backboard, and then it was just like I was told he made it,” Cornette said.

Of course, fans wouldn’t be surprised to see Wembanyama create similar moments during games. After a difficult previous campaign that was interrupted by injuries, Vembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11.2 rebounds and three blocks per game while shooting over 50% overall and 36% from beyond the arc.

He has already surpassed last year’s total of 46 games, playing in 52 games this season, including 43 starts. Wembanyama’s form has helped San Antonio improve from their 34-48 record last season (13th in the West) to finish second in the conference this year, having already achieved 49 wins on the season.

Therefore, there is no doubt that fans and Cornet himself will hope that Vembanyama continues in the same vein.

The San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets are set to play on Saturday afternoon. However, Victor Vembanyama is struggling with an ankle injury, so will he play tonight?

Wembanyama is listed on the injury report with a sore right ankle. San Antonio is monitoring his injury status closely.

Here’s everything we know about Wembanyama’s injury status in today’s game vs the Hornets.

Victor Wembanyama’s injury status vs. Hornets

According to the NBA injury report, Wembanyama is currently listed as questionable to play.

At 48–18, the Spurs are in second place in the Western Conference standings. Meanwhile, the 34-33 Hornets are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. San Antonio is one of the best teams in the NBA, while Charlotte has been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this year. The Hornets could eventually earn a play-in spot.

The game projects to be competitive. When the question comes whether Victor Wembanyama is playing against the Hornets today, the answer is probably.

spurs injury report

Spurs have five players listed on the injury report.

• Victor Vembanyama (right ankle soreness): doubtful
• Dylan Harper (right calf injury): doubtful
• Harrison Ingram (G League Two-Way): Questionable
• Emmanuel Miller (G League Two-Way): Questionable
• David Jones Garcia (G League Two-Way): Out

hornet injury report

The Hornets have six players listed on the injury report.

• Coby White (right heel injury): Probable
• Ryan Kalkbrenner (illness): probable
• Liam McNeely (left ankle sprain): Out
• Tidjane Salaun (left calf strain): out
• PJ Hall (G League two-way): out
• Antonio Reeves (G League Two-Way): Out

When it comes to VJ Edgecombe, the Philadelphia 76ers rookie is as good as they come.

One of the best young players in the NBA who still can’t legally take the bar, Edgecombe has quickly established himself as a long-term starter for the 76ers, to the extent that Daryl Morey was willing to trade another young guard, Jared McCain, to guarantee maximum runway for the No. 3 overall pick.

So naturally, when Edgecombe gets a chance to showcase his fast-growing game on national television, especially against a future face of the league like Victor Wembanyama, he’ll have extra motivation to show up and show it on the court, right?

Eh, not so much, as before the game, Edgecombe had a simple answer for reporter Ashlyn Sullivan when asked if he was excited to face off against “The Alien.”

“Eh, not really,” Edgecombe announced.

“Eh…not really.” ???

This was VJ Edgecombe’s reaction when I asked if he was excited to go up against Victor Wembanyama. The rookie told me he only gets excited about winning basketball. More on Edgecombe and why he FaceTimed a fan on Sunday. @NBCPhilly pic.twitter.com/mnsSVXFTyn

– Ashlyn Sullivan (@ashlynrsullivan) 4 March 2026

A true success story of perseverance, Edgecombe came from a home in the Bahamas that used a generator to produce electricity to being a consensus five-star recruit who played his college ball at Baylor, and ultimately being the third-overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, where he was selected by Morey over other options like Kon Knueppel and Ace Bailey.

Widely known as more of an athlete than a finished product coming into the NBA, Edgecombe looks quite polished as he prepares for his first trip to the NBA postseason, averaging 15.5 points, 3.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds a night, while playing really good defense and hitting 36.3 percent of his 5.8 3-pointers per game. If Edgecombe keeps this up, he will not only finish his rookie season with a spot on the All-Rookie team, but will also look forward to facing a star player like Wembley in the future.

The San Antonio Spurs remained undefeated in February. For Victor Vembanyama this is not a fact.

“Feels like an accomplishment. I think, looking back, we can say it’s been a satisfying month.

“It feels good.”

In defeating the 11 opponents they faced from February 1 to February 26, this period featured a game that could be considered close by most standards. And that win was by nine points.

“I think we only had one win that was single digits,” Wembley said, pointing to the team’s first contest of the month, a 112-103 win versus the Orlando Magic.

“So does that mean it was perfect? ​​Of course not. But looking back, you know it was never going to be perfect, so that’s pretty satisfying,” the Generations star continued.

Spurs correct mistakes during February streak

For a month starting in late December, Spurs found themselves playing against teams that were struggling themselves. After a third win in 10 days versus the Oklahoma City Thunder on Christmas Day, San Antonio lost at home two nights later to a Utah Jazz team that went 11–19. By the time they lost to the New Orleans Pelicans on January 6, the Spurs had lost four of six, with three of those setbacks coming to a team with a losing record and the other being to a Cleveland Cavaliers team that was a game above .500 when they went in. San Antonio.

“We showed that this was one of our weaknesses. I think especially about the loss against Utah that we had in 2025. After a good series of big matches, we had a few more average losses,” Wembanyama reflected.

During this 11-game winning streak, the team with the second-best record in the West not only handled three teams with losing records, but also took care of business in several contests against shorthanded contenders.

“That was already my mental state at that time. I think it’s something as a team that has potential, as a team that grows and has some success at the beginning of the season. For me, these are things we have to go through. And even though we know we have to take all the games the same way, those are the lessons that are best learned from failing, losing games,” Wembley admitted.

“It’s nothing that has bothered us. I think we’ve made progress in that regard, even if we’re not there yet,” said Spurs’ leading scorer.

Spurs’ Victor Vembanayama talks championship controversy

Asked whether Spurs’ performance in February proved Spurs are legitimate title contenders, Wembanyama offered no assurances.

“I can’t answer that because it’s the first time I’ve been in this position, but talking about the floor; I think it was something we had to raise at the beginning of the season to show that our ceiling is extremely high. Our record against the strongest teams in the league is fantastic.”

In addition to the above three wins against the defending NBA champions, the Spurs have defeated every Western Conference team except one that will qualify for an expanded postseason, including play-ins, when the season ends in late February. And the one team they haven’t been on top of – the Los Angeles Clippers – they haven’t played yet.

The Spurs will face the Clippers in early March as they look to build on the league’s best current streak.

Someone needs to call home. One fan came to Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday to support Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs against the Toronto Raptors and he did something extra.

Supernatural, that is.

wore a fan foreign costume As a nod to Vembanyama’s nickname, as shown in a video posted by Score on X. To appear less suspicious and blend in better with humans, the fan also wore the two-time All-Star’s jersey.

An alien came to see The Alien in Toronto 👽😅 pic.twitter.com/mUHZf0nkXz

-TheScore (@theScore) 25 February 2026

Wembanyama, who led the Spurs to a 41-16 record entering their game against the Raptors, has been compared to an alien – meant as a compliment – ​​because his physical build and skill set seem almost unreal compared to normal players.

With Vembanyama’s supernatural blend of size, talent and mobility, he is almost impossible to stop – and it’s scary to think he is only 22 years old.

They have adopted being called alien as their branding. The logo of his signature Nike shoes is the head of an alien, which Vembanyama created himself.

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is widely credited with giving the nickname to Wembanyama, who in turn was enthralled by it.

“I’m really glad they said that because I don’t like being called a unicorn. I like it because it’s not from this world. I like being called an alien. It’s really me working to become something unique and original,” the 7-foot-4 center said in a report by Sports Illustrated’s Andy Nesbitt.

Wembanyama’s popularity has grown rapidly since the Spurs made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, and many believe he is already the face of the NBA.

If not, definitely from another planet.

Nikola Jokic may be a three-time MVP and the defending champion, but even “Joker” knows when he’s in the presence of an otherworldly presence.

During the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at the Intuit Dome, the Denver Nuggets superstar took his admiration for Victor Wembanyama to a hilarious new level. While the rest of Team World was busy swapping signatures, Jokic approached the San Antonio Spurs with a specific request.

“Where’s the alien? I want an alien,” Jokic was heard saying, referring to Vembanayama’s iconic logo. Without missing a beat, Wembanyama responded, “Say less,” before making his signature allegorical mark on Jokic’s jersey. It was a light-hearted moment between two generational big men who clearly share a huge amount of mutual respect despite being rivals in the Western Conference.

Nikola Jokic got his alien logo on his jersey from Victor Vembanyama, while he got his jersey signed by the entire Team World 😅

Jokic: “Where’s the alien? I want an alien.”

Wemby: “Speak less.”

(via @nba)

pic.twitter.com/mvb7sewNml

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 16 February 2026

While the jersey swap was all smiles, the actual game saw a bit more bite than in recent years. Under the league’s new round-robin format, Vembanyama proved he was not just there for the vibes. The French star led Team World with 14 points and 6 rebounds in the opening matchup against the USA Stars.

The game became a complete thriller, ending in five overtime periods from the first. After Anthony Edwards forced extra frames with a clutch triple, Wembanyama countered with a three-pointer of his own. However, Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors played spoiler, draining a game-ending 3-pointer to secure a 37–35 victory for the Americans.

Vembanyama did not slow down in his second innings of the day. He scored an impressive 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting in a close 48–45 loss to the USA Stripes. He almost forced another overtime, but his last-second attempt from deep fell short as the buzzer sounded.

Jokic, meanwhile, kept things classic, focusing more on facilitating and enjoying the spectacle while playing minimal minutes to manage his health following a knee injury in late December.