Victor Wembanyama (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

Victor Wembanyama’s incredible rookie season has ended. On Saturday, the San Antonio Spurs, a top contender for Rookie of the Year, confirmed that their star player will not participate in Sunday’s season finale against the Detroit Pistons.

Like the Spurs’ decision to sit Wembanyama during their 127-89 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, San Antonio decided to rest Wembanyama and his right ankle.
This season, the Spurs are 2-8 without Wembanyama.

The decision was made the day after Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio team defeated the Denver Nuggets 121-120. He ended with 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks in the game. In 71 games, Wembanyama, the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and a league-high 3.6 blocks per the NBA website.

The Spurs, who began the season with a 21-60 record and are tied with Portland for the lowest record in the Western Conference, had Wembanyama, the top choice in the 2023 NBA draft, in 71 games.

Victor Wembanyama Believes That Spurs Are in a Rebuilding Phase

Wembanyama celebrated with a spike of the ball as time ran out after the Spurs overcame a 23-point deficit to win the game, marking their most significant comeback victory against the Nuggets.

Victor Wembanyama said in the post-match conference: “As a growing team, a young team, it’s big for us. We’re going to need these kind of wins in the future. We’re going to need any win. But big-time wins against big teams, first seeds, we’re going to need those in the future.”

Victor Wembanyama became the first player to finish a season with at least 1,500 points, 250 assists, and 250 blocked shots. He was also just the fourth player overall to do so. The others were former Spurs great David Robinson twice, Hakeem Olajuwon twice, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar five times. Since Olajuwon and Robinson each had a similar season in 1993–1994, no one has accomplished it.

Although Wembanyama won’t play for the Spurs until the following season, supporters will probably get to see him in action much before then. He is anticipated to compete for France at the summer Olympics in Paris.