Tag: Victor Wembanyama

NBA puts Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama in national spotlight during 2024-25 season

NBA puts Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama in national spotlight during 2024-25 season.

Like the previous iteration, expect an old rivalry to be renewed here in the coming years.

After examining the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2024-25 regular season schedule, it’s painfully obvious how badly the NBA wants the San Antonio Spurs to be their primary foe.

Like Batman to Joker, the league has pushed Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama to the national spotlight all three times they match up this season.

It makes all the sense in the world for the league to push this too. Holmgren and Wembayama were top-two picks in their respective drafts and finished as the top-two last season in Rookie of the Year.

Both seven-footers have similar playstyles as elite paint protectors who can handle and shoot the ball with extraordinary ability. They headline the next generation of versatile centers that will dominate the league for the foreseeable future.

While the Thunder are a title contender and Spurs are in a rebuild, expect the latter to catch up solely from Wembanyama’s ascension as one of the league’s best players.

Playoff clashes feel inevitable between these two titans. But that likely won’t happen next season. Until then, the regular season must be enough to quench the thirst of fans who look forward to this rivalry.

The Thunder and Spurs face off three times next season. The first matchup will be early in the season and broadcast via ESPN on Oct. 30. OKC will be the host.

The second matchup features some stakes as it will be an NBA Cup group game. The Thunder travel to San Antonio on Nov. 19 and will be shown on TNT.

The final contest will be late in the season on Mar. 2. OKC once more travels to the Spurs to take it on in front of an ESPN audience.

Even if neither player publicly acknowledges it, there is a simmering rivalry brewing between Holmgren and Wembanyama. Expect that to be the case for the rest of their careers as they battle it out in the Western Conference.

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Texas Longhorns to host NBA matchup in Kevin Durant’s return to Austin

Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns will play the San Antonio Spurs at the University of Texas in February.

A battle between two Olympic basketball stars will take place at the Moody Center on the campus of the Texas Longhorns in February of 2025.

Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns will take on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on February 20, 2025 at the Moody Center in what will be a homecoming for Durant – who spent one season with the Longhorns in 2006-07.

Durant averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds in his lone season at Texas, earning AP and Big 12 Player of the Year while becoming the first freshman to win the Naismith Trophy as the best player in college hoops.

The Moody Center has hosted the Spurs in a pair of games each of the past two seasons since opening in 2022, although this will be Durant’s first time playing in the arena.

The future Hall of Famer had his jersey retired by Texas in 2008 and the men’s basketball facility named after him in 2017 after he made a $3 million contribution.

Durant and Team USA secured a gold medal victory over Wembanyama and France last week in Paris, giving KD his fourth gold medal ahead of his age-35 season.

San Antonio star forward Victor Wembanyama on borrowing from Kevin Durant

“I made it clear to him that I wanted to learn from him and perhaps only steal one or two of his secret techniques,” said Wemby.

It’s always a historical moment when an all-time great and a generational talent on the upswing of their career meet. And when the younger player grew up a fan of the older, it adds an extra layer of intrigue. Such was the case when star San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama got a chance to talk with Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant after his French National Team fell to Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Wemby opened up on the exchange with Durant in a recent interview with French news outlet “M6 Info”. “Clearly this is my personal childhood favorite,” offered the French forward (translation theirs via Clutch Points).

“He became my favorite player, and … there was this one classic moment for encouragement and congratulations to each other (after Team USA won the gold).”

“I made it clear to him that I wanted to learn from him and perhaps only steal one or two of his secret techniques,” explained Wembanyama.

And understandably given the two share a massive if wiry frame that makes them so hard to guard. With Wemby already a monster on the defensive side of the game, it makes all the sense in the world to study up on the Slim Reaper’s game.

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San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama opens up on his offseason so far

Wemby sat down for a recent interview with French YouTube channel “Brut”.

Before his rookie season, one of the biggest knocks against star San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama finding success at the NBA level was his rail-thin physique. He has since silenced those doubters for now with his play on the court, but was asked about those doubters in a recent interview with French YouTube channel “Brut“. Wemby answered said doubters with a simple reply (translate by YouTube from French), saying “as long as I know I have it, there’s no reason to worry.”

Asked if he doesn’t fall for such distractions, he replied that it was “not true, I think it’s normal to have small weaknesses at times. But I don’t know of any distraction that could harm my career.” He did admit to a weakness for reading science fiction and fantasy books, however.

“It’s true, it’s really the only one, almost, for the moment, the only genre that I read well here. I love it. It fascinates me; the last book that I finished is the sixth book of ‘The Witcher’.”

As to his thin physique, Wembanyama also admitted he’d put on some weight in his rookie season. “10 kilograms — no, 4-5 maybe.” He’s also doing yoga, though not to improve his flexibility, as the interviewer suggested.

“That’s wrong; I am working my mobility, that’s it — it allows the body to move in a whole new dimension in terms of capacity, athletic capacity, so it’s really very important.”

A whole new dimension of athletic capacity for THIS guy? No wonder he warned the world after winning silver in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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On Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and his worry for his basketball foes

The rising Spurs star is sure to make another leap, and he has given them all fair notice of what will be coming down the pike.

The French National Team may have had to settle for a silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. But from the sounds of star forward Victor Wembanyama after the loss, he also does not plan on being on the losing side of the gold medal game next time around in Los Angeles.

Wemby issued a chilling warning to his basketball foes after the loss — and not just in international play. The rising Spurs star is sure to make another leap at the NBA level in the coming 2024-25 regular season, and he has given them all fair notice of what will be coming down the pike.

To talk over Wemby’s Olympic play and what we can glean from it about his season ahead with San Antonio, the San Antonio Express-News put out a clip on their official YouTube channel. It features Mike Finger and Spurs beat reporters Jeff McDonald and Tom Orsborn diving deep into all things Wembanyama. Check it out below!

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What should we take away from Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s play in the 2024 Paris Olympics?

What will it mean for how he will play with the Spurs in the NBA’s 2024-25 regular season?

What should we take away from San Antonio Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama‘s play in the 2024 Paris Olympics? By and large, the French National Team exceeded expectations on their way to a silver medal and competitive gold medal game.

And of course, Wemby played a major role in Team France’s success in Men’s 5 × 5 Basketball success, but what will it mean for how he will play with the Spurs in the NBA’s 2024-25 regular season? If what we saw from his growth in his rookie season is any indication, the addition of some real veteran talent to the team ought to have Wemby poised to make good on his post-Olympics warning.

To talk it all over on a recent episode of his show, the host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, sat down with guest Jack Thompson, formerly with San Antonio Sports Star. Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say.

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Will San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama be the best player in the world at the 2028 Olympics?

Or will it be someone yet to emerge as such?

The 2028 Olympics are nearly as far away as a future Olympics can be, with the 2024 Paris iteration having literally ended just a few days ago. But that has not slowed analysts of the sport of basketball from doing their best at trying to project the field of athletes who will be there representing their home countries.

To that end, the question of the pecking order for the Men’s 5 × 5 basketball tournament remains unanswered as of yet. Will San Antonio Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama be the best player in the world at the 2028 Olympics, or will it be someone yet to emerge as such?

The hosts of ESPN’s “NBA Today,” Malika Andrews, Kendrick Perkins and Tim Legler got together to talk over the future of the sport at the Olympic level and where we can expect Wemby to be by the time the next Olympics arrive.

Check it out above to hear their thoughts on this for yourself!

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Dwyane Wade sees big things in San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s future

‘You have to watch him play the game to really appreciate it,’ said Wade.

Former Miami Heat champion wing Dwyane Wade has seen the future — and the future is San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama.  After the US National Team won gold against a competitive French National Team, Wade shared some thoughts about Wemby’s Team France and the future of Olympic basketball via Sports Illustrated’s Scott Salomon.

“The game is growing around the world, they (France) will be back in four years,” said Wade. “It is the U.S.’s game, but this is not 1992 anymore. It’s a different day,” Wembanyama in particular caught the former Heatle’s eye in international play in Paris. “The way he shoots. The way he throws down the lob, we are going to see him on this stage for a long time,” said Wade of Wemby’s play for Team France.

“He is the future of the NBA, and he is the future of international basketball,” added the three-time champion boldly. “What your eyes see, your eyes shall believe … You have to watch him play the game to really appreciate it.”

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Will San Antonio Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama take the biggest leap forward in the NBA after the Olympics?

Who will take the biggest leap forward in the NBA after the Olympics?

The 2024 Paris Olympics are now firmly behind us after the US National Team defeated the French National Team and San Antonio Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama. But Wemby warned the world he plans on coming back better and more seasoned, hinting at a major leap forward on the court with the Spurs in the Association for the 2024-25 season ahead.

Who will take the biggest leap forward in the NBA after the Olympics? Could the benching of star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum with Team USA be the catalyst to make Tatum take that mantle next season? Or is 2028 Olympic basketball the future domain of Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards?

The hosts of the ESPN “First Take” show, Harry Douglas, Joe Fortenbaugh and Kendrick Perkins, debated who will grow the most next season in the NBA. Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say.

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To 10 plays by San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Wembanyama put up a host of highlight reel plays over the course of his time playing for Team France.

Given what we have seen from San Antonio Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama in his rookie season in the NBA (and the fact that the 2024 Paris Olympics were held in his native France), it probably should not surprise us how much of a force Wemby was on the court on the way to helping push the French National Team to silver.

Under the Spurs star’s excellent play, Team France faced the best of the best in the world, and was competitive against the US National Team in the Olympic Men’s 5 × 5 Basketball final until late in the game. And this Team USA being compared to the 1992 Dream Team in terms of talent!

Wembanyama put up a host of highlight reel plays over the course of his time playing for Team France in Paris and prior Olympic tilts.

To see them all for yourself again (or for the first time, for that matter), check out the clip embedded above put together by the folks at the “Hoopsman” YouTube channel.

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