Wembanyama One Step From Childhood Dream After Spurs Reach NBA Finals
Victor Wembanyama averaged 30+ in key wins as San Antonio outlasted Oklahoma City 4-3. Seven Spurs scored double digits in Game 7 to book Finals vs Knicks.
Wembanyama leads Spurs to NBA Finals with 22-point win over Thunder...
Victor Wembanyama is one step away from a childhood dream after the Spurs knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder. San Antonio now heads to an NBA Finals matchup with the New York Knicks on Saturday.
Wembanyama led the way with 22 points, anchoring a big road win as the Spurs shocked the defending champs 111-103. The victory sealed a 4-3 series win in the Western Conference Finals.
The victory adds another highlight to Wembanyama’s rapid rise as the NBA’s new face. San Antonio picked him No. 1 in the 2023 draft, and just three years later he’s leading them to the Finals.
The 7ft 4in Frenchman came in with once-in-a-generation hype. LeBron James even called him an “alien” instead of a “unicorn” when he entered the league.
After the win, Wembanyama quickly shifted focus to New York. Game 1 of the best-of-seven Finals tips off in San Antonio on Wednesday.
“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 realisation 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 made sure to credit his teammates right after the win on Saturday.
Seven Spurs players scored in double figures, showing the balanced attack that carried them to 62-20 in the regular season. Only Oklahoma City had a better record.
“Unreal chance” for Wembanyama as Spurs reach Finals
“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.”
Playoffs were the goal, Finals became the reality
Wembanyama began the season aiming for a playoff spot, but said the Spurs grew into Finals contenders as the campaign went on.
“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 said the seven-game battle with Oklahoma City pushed him to grow as a player.
He kicked off the series with a 41-point, 24-rebound masterclass in Game 1, then dropped 33 in Game 4 to tie it 2-2.
IT JUST MEANS MORE TO WEMBY.
— NBA (@NBA) May 31, 2026
4 more wins to capture the @nbafinalstrophy 🏆 pic.twitter.com/UHHWuADIMm
After a quiet Game 5 loss that put OKC up 3-2, Wembanyama bounced back with 28 points in Game 6 to force the winner-take-all matchup on Saturday.
“What I've learned is that I can go through hurdles that I didn't know could get so high,” Wembanyama.
“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.”
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