Victor Wembanyama eyes ‘childhood dream’ after San Antonio Spurs stun Oklahoma City Thunder
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Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs with the Earvin "Magic" Johnson MVP Trophy after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder on May 30.
PHOTO: AFP
LOS ANGELES – Victor Wembanyama is within sight of realising a lifelong dream after helping the San Antonio Spurs battle past the Oklahoma City Thunder on May 30 to set up an NBA Finals showdown with the New York Knicks.
His 22-point haul was the cornerstone of a superb display as San Antonio stunned the reigning NBA champions 111-103 on the road to clinch a 4-3 Western Conference Finals series triumph.
The win marked another dazzling milestone on Wembanyama’s rise as the new face of the NBA, just three years after he was chosen by San Antonio with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft.
The 2.24m Frenchman was hailed as a once-in-a-generation talent when he landed in the NBA, with LeBron James famously saluting the towering youngster as more like an “alien” than a “unicorn”.
As the dust settled on Spurs’ momentous win, Wembanyama wasted no time in turning his attention to the looming challenge posed by the Knicks, with Game 1 of the best-of-seven series set for San Antonio on June 3.
“Winning the Larry O’Brien (NBA championship trophy) is a childhood dream and having a real shot at it, having a tangible chance at winning it – it’s a lifetime chance,” the 22-year-old said.
“You never know when it’s gonna happen again. But the day we win it, speaking for myself, it’s going to be an amazing day – the realisation of a dream.
“It’s hard to put into words. It’s almost like the meaning of my life.”
Wembanyama was swift to pay tribute to the contribution of his teammates on May 30.
No fewer than seven San Antonio players finished with double-digit points totals, reflecting an all-round offensive potency that helped the Spurs to a 62-20 record during the regular season, second only to Oklahoma City.
“So many big-time plays, so many guys stepping up,” Wembanyama said. “It’s an unreal chance. My life is amazing and being with these guys that I love so, so, so much – it’s amazing.
“I want to have this feeling plenty more times in my life. I want to win so bad – it’s like my life depends on it.”
He had started the season targeting a place in the play-offs, but said the Spurs had gradually built towards their passage to the NBA Finals over the course of the campaign.
“When you step into a game in the regular season, you don’t even look at the big picture,” added “Wemby”.
“You look at what you need to do tonight, what you need to do in the first half. You try and lay a brick whenever you get a chance. And at the end of the day you get a big castle, a beautiful house. This is just like the entry hall of our castle right now.”
Wembanyama also reflected on his own personal growth through what was a grueling seven-game series against Oklahoma City.
He opened with a 41-point, 24-rebound masterpiece in Game 1 and then helped square the series at 2-2 in a 33-point display in Game 4.
After a lacklustre performance in Game 5, which Oklahoma City won to take a 3-2 lead, Wembanyama roared back in Game 6 with 28 points to set up the decider.
“What I’ve learnt is that I can go through hurdles that I didn’t know could get so high,” he said.
“I found resources inside of me. Relentlessness. I already knew that, but doing it at this level, this is the best basketball being played on the planet right now. And the crazy thing is I want to do that 15 or 20 more times.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t become an addiction. Maybe it is already.” AFP