{"id":1964451,"date":"2026-05-31T04:03:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T01:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1964451"},"modified":"2026-05-31T04:03:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T01:03:25","slug":"victor-wembanyama-overcome-with-emotion-as-spurs-clinch-nba-finals-berth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1964451","title":{"rendered":"Victor Wembanyama overcome with emotion as Spurs clinch NBA Finals berth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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All Victor Wembanyama did was earn the right to play four more games.<\/p>\n

There wasn\u2019t a ring to hand him at the end of the game. There was a trophy, but it wasn\u2019t the<\/em> trophy. There was a series MVP trophy for him, but not that<\/em> series MVP trophy.<\/p>\n

Judging by the tears on his face, Wembanyama didn\u2019t seem to know it.<\/p>\n

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The elation reddening his face and the fervor with which he hugged his San Antonio Spurs teammates didn\u2019t suggest a player who has \u201cbeen here before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because he hasn\u2019t, and just making the NBA Finals was enough of a dream come true.<\/p>\n

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\u201cRealizing that some part of a childhood dream is going to come true,\u201d Wembanyama said on stage while holding the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP Trophy. \u201cEven though I\u2019m still hungry for one more, this feeling is \u2014 I can\u2019t explain it. It\u2019s so powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n

The emotion tearing from Wemby\u2019s body the second the Spurs defeated the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 visibly overwhelmed him. He dipped his head into his jersey, doubled over and back again. He collapsed his 7-foot-4 frame into teammate Stephon Castle and cried into his point guard\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n

Wembanyama scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a decisive Game 7 victory. He averaged 27.3 points and 10.9 rebounds in the series. He was a league MVP finalist this season and the best player in this series, leading San Antonio to its first NBA Finals since 2014.<\/p>\n

But this moment was for his teammates.<\/p>\n

He pumped his fists, then collapsed again into a group hug with Castle, veteran center Bismack Biyombo, Keldon Johnson and several other teammates. Julian Champagnie was enveloped in a passionate embrace. Assistant coach Sean Sweeney was snatched up right after.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey don\u2019t even know how much I love them,\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cThey\u2019re just incredible. Everybody stepped up tonight. \u2026 I love these guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are four more games to win. As the Alien continues ascending the NBA hierarchy, there is a bigger trophy to earn. But this is the same Wembanyama who cried after a tough regular-season loss earlier this season.<\/p>\n

This is the same Wembanyama who finally bested Chet Holmgren, a rival he has shared a very public feud with since they were teenagers. This is also the same Wembanyama who sent veiled shots at the Thunder\u2019s legitimacy after beating them in the NBA Cup in December, saying he was glad to be part of something so beautiful \u2013 pure and ethical basketball.<\/p>\n

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What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n
\n \"Knicks-Spurs<\/p>\n
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\n Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals mega-preview: Predictions, odds, must-reads and more\n <\/div>\n
\n Here is everything you need to know about this 1999 finals rematch between the NBA’s largest market and its fifth-smallest.\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

And this was the same Wembanyama who had to watch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accept an MVP award that the Frenchman was up for, right in front of him, before Game 1. He responded by posting a historic 41-point, 24-rebound performance and outscoring the Thunder by himself, 12-7, in the closing moments of a double-overtime victory. The same player who openly admitted afterward that, yes, he wants to win one of those Michael Jordan trophies.<\/p>\n

So, this mattered to him, and he showed it in spades.<\/p>\n

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Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The New York Knicks await the Spurs for a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals. In just four days, Game 1 of the NBA Finals will tip off, and the unbridled emotion Wembanyama showed will fade. Again, he\u2019ll stare at the final peak left to conquer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know my emotions are probably going to be a little bit numb,\u201d Wembanyama told NBC\u2019s crew after the game, \u201cbecause of the will to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

He knows the job isn\u2019t finished yet.<\/p>\n

But for this night, he allowed himself to shed tears at the buzzer.<\/p>\n

And he wasn\u2019t going to subdue them.<\/p>\n

Sam Amick contributed to this story.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All Victor Wembanyama did was earn the right to play four more games. There wasn\u2019t a ring to hand him at the end of the game. There was a trophy, but it wasn\u2019t the trophy. There was a series MVP trophy for him, but not that series MVP trophy. Judging by the tears on his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1964451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1964451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1964451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1964451\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1964451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1964451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1964451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}