Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Victor Wembanyama is within sight of realizing a lifelong dream after helping the San Antonio Spurs battle past the Oklahoma City Thunder to set up an NBA Finals showdown with the New York Knicks on Saturday. Wembanyama’s 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 7ft 4in (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” rather than a “unicorn.” As the dust settled on Saturday’s momentous win, Wembanyama wasted no time in turning his attention to the looming challenge posed by the Knicks, with game one of the best-of-seven series set for San Antonio on Wednesday.
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“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,” Wembanyama told a post-game press conference. “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 realization of a dream,” the 22-year-old said. “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 team-mates in Saturday’s win. 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. “Oh my god — 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, plenty more times in my life. You work all these hours that we put in, for these type of emotions. I want to win so bad — it’s like my life depends on it.”
Wembanyama had started the season targeting a place in the playoffs, 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,” Wembanyama said. “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 reflected on his own personal growth through what was a grueling seven-game series against Oklahoma City. The Frenchman opened with a 41-point, 24-rebound masterpiece in game one, and then helped square the series at 2-2 in a 33-point display in game four. After a lackluster performance in game five, which Oklahoma City won to take a 3-2 lead, Wembanyama roared back in game six with 28 points to set up Saturday’s decider.
“What I’ve learned is that I can go through hurdles that I didn’t know could get so high,” Wembanyama 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.”
© 2024 AFP
