{"id":1999240,"date":"2026-06-19T11:00:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T08:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1999240"},"modified":"2026-06-19T11:00:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T08:00:56","slug":"the-10-moments-that-made-victor-wembanyama-must-see-tv-during-the-nba-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1999240","title":{"rendered":"The 10 moments that made Victor Wembanyama must-see TV during the NBA playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p>Victor Wembanyama\u2019s maiden postseason alternated between blockbuster and bildungsroman. He kept the world hooked, game to game and series to series, even though his San Antonio Spurs stumbled against the New York Knicks\u2019 team of destiny in the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Alien\u201d has authored a swift, eventful rise through the sport. He was the No. 1 draft pick in 2023, then matched that hype with an assured <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5475348\/2024\/05\/06\/victor-wembanyama-rookie-of-the-year\/\">Rookie of the Year campaign<\/a>. The promise of his second season was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6149228\/2025\/02\/20\/victor-wembanyama-out-for-season-spurs\/\">suddenly curtailed by a blood clot<\/a> in his right shoulder. He spent last summer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QDN_RukqSWY\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">training at a Shaolin monastery<\/a>. And in his just-finished third season, he was minted as the league\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7212188\/2026\/04\/20\/victor-wembanyama-nba-defensive-player-of-the-year-award\/\">first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>This spring, Wembanyama mounted his first playoff bid at 22 years old. He certainly left an impression. Maybe the 2026 playoffs will seem quaint as Future Wembanyama clutches his fistful of rings. For all we know, the highlights will be a stinging reminder of what could have been. Right now, let\u2019s appreciate what just happened.<\/p>\n<div data-ath-video-stream=\"cGXYxxdLWSMM2Vl\">\n<div class=\"VideoHost_Root__QeM_i\">\n<div class=\"VideoHost_VideoWidth__XjNKI VideoHost_Portrait__XBaJC\">\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_VariantB__yI4e6\">\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_TextWrapper__jDZKU\">\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_Title__npf3B\">Victor Wembanyama&#8217;s top moments of the 2026 postseason<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_VideoWrapper__Xgp47\">{&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@type&#8221;:&#8221;VideoObject&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/video\/cGXYxxdLWSMM2Vl\/&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/video\/cGXYxxdLWSMM2Vl\/&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Victor Wembanyama&#8217;s top moments of the 2026 postseason&#8221;,&#8221;uploadDate&#8221;:&#8221;2026-06-18T04:45:42.744Z&#8221;,&#8221;duration&#8221;:&#8221;PT2M16S&#8221;,&#8221;thumbnailUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/cdn-media.theathletic.com\/video-stream\/auto-thumbnail\/cGXYxxdLWSMM2Vl\/3vmpDUSruUo5.0000000.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;contentUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/video.nyt.com\/athletic\/streams\/cGXYxxdLWSMM2Vl\/3vmpDUSruUo5\/3vmpDUSruUo5.m3u8&#8243;,&#8221;transcript&#8221;:&#8221;Outstretched arms, no, there goes Wemal. Took it off the glass, put it behind his back, trying to extend a 7-0 run off the basket. Wendy. Kayama&#8217;s also got 13 rebounds. And 4 blocks to go with those 17 points. Oh my goodness. Spiked. Into the 15th row, even his dad says wow, there&#8217;s a certain homage he always pays that matchup on the 1st. Block the other end, Rudy Gobert. There&#8217;s your French connection. Well, who do you think taught him? Rudy taught him that timing exactly. 3 possessions blocked at EJ Hardy as well. It might have, might have hit the hit the board. Mr. Chaos makes it happen. Wambuyama rolls to the 00, OK. In one fell swoop. Spurs got numbers hungry now behind the plate, 5 on 4. Wendy&#8217;s gonna pull a deep 3. 00 my goodness. A logo shot. 28 footer ties it at 108. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the previous youngest. Thunder down 6. Gotta go quick. Williams engulfs the ball. Wambayama, I think he&#8217;s gonna go. I think he&#8217;s gonna go from midcourt. Look at the emotion from Wimby. Unbelievable. This is what you want to see, a young team growing up. And one of the leading rebounders in the playoffs, goes right at Wambaya, blocked by Wimby. Castle picks it up, comes the other way. Wabayama, 3 pointer, got it. Alley oop to Wimbayyama, perfect pass from Castle, and the lead is up to 3. And right now on this, McHale Bridges slips, that puts everyone in a tough spot, and there&#8217;s nothing you can do.&#8221;,&#8221;ineligibleRegion&#8221;:[&#8220;BI&#8221;,&#8221;BY&#8221;,&#8221;CD&#8221;,&#8221;CF&#8221;,&#8221;CU&#8221;,&#8221;IQ&#8221;,&#8221;IR&#8221;,&#8221;KP&#8221;,&#8221;LB&#8221;,&#8221;LY&#8221;,&#8221;ML&#8221;,&#8221;NI&#8221;,&#8221;RU&#8221;,&#8221;SD&#8221;,&#8221;SO&#8221;,&#8221;SS&#8221;,&#8221;SY&#8221;,&#8221;UA&#8221;,&#8221;VE&#8221;,&#8221;YE&#8221;,&#8221;ZW&#8221;],&#8221;publisher&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;NewsMediaOrganization&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/#publisher&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;The Athletic&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/&#8221;,&#8221;foundingDate&#8221;:&#8221;2016-01-25&#8243;,&#8221;logo&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ImageObject&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/img\/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/img\/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png&#8221;,&#8221;contentUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/img\/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png&#8221;,&#8221;creditText&#8221;:&#8221;The Athletic&#8221;,&#8221;height&#8221;:&#8221;60&#8243;,&#8221;width&#8221;:&#8221;435&#8243;},&#8221;publishingPrinciples&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/edit-guidelines\/&#8221;,&#8221;sameAs&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Athletic&#8221;},&#8221;author&#8221;:[{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Person&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;The Athletic Staff&#8221;}]}<\/p>\n<div class=\"AspectRatioBox_root__AKv5b\" style=\"aspect-ratio:9 \/ 16;max-height:min(100%)\">\n<div class=\"AspectRatioBox_inner__86C_2\" style=\"aspect-ratio:9 \/ 16\">\n<div class=\"VideoStreamPlayer_GridStack__2H0p2\"><video preload=\"none\"><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2>First round: Wembanyama\u2019s welcome<\/h2>\n<p>His saga started against the Portland Trail Blazers. Though a shocking fall left him with a concussion in Game 2, Wembanyama emerged with resolve and the Spurs won the series 4-1.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Moment No. 1: The coast-to-coast introduction<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A good soir\u00e9e demands a cocktail hour. Why sip the <a href=\"https:\/\/cooking.nytimes.com\/recipes\/1014443-french-75\">French 75<\/a> when we can indulge in the French 94 (Feet)? Wembanyama punctuated his first playoff quarter by grabbing a rebound, handling the ball behind his back, spinning into a vortex and gliding toward the rim. Shaken, then stirred.<\/p>\n<p>He finished this win with 35 points, which set the franchise record for a postseason debut. Tim Duncan and David Robinson were both in the building.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Moment No. 2: The swat into the stands<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Back in San Antonio and with a 3-1 lead, the Spurs\u2019 elimination of the Blazers felt like a foregone conclusion. But Wembanyama\u2019s late swat on Deni Avdija was a special, cosmic humiliation. That ball soared beyond the backboard and out to the Great Plains. It might still be suspended in orbit, somewhere with \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2nlkEY-3CMI\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Event Horizon<\/a>\u201d and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YapmY8akMv0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Bobby Shmurda\u2019s fitted.<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"article-pickem\">\n<hr>\n<h2>Second round: From ejection to elation<\/h2>\n<p>A far tougher task awaited at the next stage. Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves were conference finalists in consecutive years. Wembanyama had his inaugural heel turn as a flagrant 2 foul got him tossed from Game 4. After a 2-2 series split, he and the Spurs corrected course and triumphed in six.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Moment No. 3: The \u2018Space Jam\u2019 extension<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A fellow countryman and defensive mountain, Rudy Gobert has become one of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7251174\/2026\/05\/04\/victor-wembanyama-rudy-gobert-spurs-timberwolves-nba-playoffs\/\">Wembanyama\u2019s enduring mentors<\/a>. How can years of stewardship be repaid? By taking said steward off the dribble and dunking on him with the Tune Squad elastic arm. Bad friend, great television.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong>Moment No. 4: The \u2018Fiesta\u2019 block party<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>With the glorious \u201cFiesta\u201d colorway decorating his home gym, what else was Wembanyama to do? The new DPOY threw a block party of historic proportions. His 12 stuffs became the league\u2019s new all-time high for a single playoff game. It was majestic and indignant.<\/p>\n<p>The Wolves managed to win that night, but the star Spur established himself for the series en route to a ridiculous 4.2 blocks per game. And Minnesota was eventually vanquished to the other side of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ux08Gu7d0sY\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Graffiti Bridge<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>Conference finals: Toughness in tears<\/h2>\n<p>It was always meant to come to this. Wembanyama didn\u2019t care to hide his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6892516\/2025\/12\/16\/victor-wembanyama-spurs-ethical-thunder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">disdain for the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a>, defending NBA champions. The ensuing seven-game showdown gave his Spurs new reign of the West.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Moment No. 5: The Thunder strike<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Jamming on the back-to-back MVP is cool. Jamming on an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5066386\/2023\/11\/15\/victor-wembanyama-chet-holmgren-spurs-thunder-rivalry\/\">archenemy<\/a> is also cool. Putting the two together? Now we\u2019re cooking with gas. Wembanyama split Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren to disarm the Thunder in Game 1. \u201cLoud City\u201d got awfully quiet. And, against sound reason, time would reveal an even nastier highlight down the stretch.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Moment No. 6: The all-timer<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Wembanyama conjured an overtime (and double-overtime) performance for the ages. His Game 1 encore set seeped into monoculture, shared in disbelief across the basketball pocket dimensions. An inspired Kendrick Perkins looked into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XPGWDtB665E&amp;t=352s\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">summer camp with the monks<\/a>. Alien emoji were blasted through group chats at never-before-seen rates<em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The game-tying pull-up trey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DYhgpS6EcJ9\/?hl=en\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">evoked Stephen Curry<\/a> \u2014 an almost identical tracing, except this shooter was stretched out like conjoined string cheese sticks. And the game-saving rejection <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/artbutmakeitsports.bsky.social\/post\/3mm6jo2cdms2g\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">evoked French impressionism<\/a>, as if museum glass could contain such grandeur. The total came to 41 points, 24 boards and one had-to-be-there stunner.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong>Moment No. 7: The 43-footer<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>File it under \u201cthings that are really hard to do but look kind of easy for this dude.\u201d The file needed to be cleared out a few times throughout these conference finals. Wembanyama\u2019s half-court halftime buzzer-beater in Game 4 drew a full-on squeal from announcer Mike Tirico.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Moment No. 8: The catharsis<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>While undeniably brilliant in action, a segment of the league\u2019s incumbent superstar class carries a certain emotionlessness after the whistle. Players cultivate and protect their \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/2-W4CDtz3eA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">aura<\/a>.\u201d Career-defining moments get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fioExIv-hFE\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">repurposed<\/a>, if not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PxZQpeDOBI0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">repeated<\/a>. In contrast, Wembanyama\u2019s visceral exultation at the end of Game 7 was striking. He led a conquest that dethroned the champs, on the road and under pressure.<\/p>\n<p>He reached his first NBA Finals, and he let it all out. We all want <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7327660\/2026\/06\/03\/victor-wembanyama-cried-emotions-nba-finals\/?eafs_enabled=false\">that feeling<\/a> back.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>NBA Finals: Down to earth<\/h2>\n<p>These playoffs were ultimately owned by the Knicks, who closed the portal on a 53-year championship drought in unimaginable fashion. Their one-of-a-kind run will be romanticized until the end of days. But we won\u2019t just shred the rest of this book because we know its ending. And Wembanyama still had his chance to shine.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inline-graphic\">\n<p>        a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n  display: flex;<br \/>\n  gap: 20px;<br \/>\n  flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n  align-items: center;<br \/>\n  padding: 20px 0px;<br \/>\n  border-top: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  text-decoration: none;<br \/>\n  color: #121212;<br \/>\n  cursor: pointer;<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-franklin;<br \/>\n    font-size: 14px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 700;<br \/>\n    line-height: 13.8px;<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 1.1px;<br \/>\n    text-transform: uppercase;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-image {<br \/>\n    border-radius: 8px;<br \/>\n    object-fit: cover;<br \/>\n    width: 200px;<br \/>\n    height: 150px;<br \/>\n    margin: 0px;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      width: 120px;<br \/>\n      height: 120px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-inner-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: row;<br \/>\n    gap: 16px;<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-text-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n    gap: 20px;<br \/>\n    justify-content: center;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      gap: 8px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-title {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-cheltenham;<br \/>\n    font-size: 24px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 500;<br \/>\n    line-height: 120%; \/* 24px *\/<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 0.01px;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 3;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-imperial;<br \/>\n    font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 400;<br \/>\n    line-height: 139%; \/* 19.46px *\/<br \/>\n    color: #323232;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 4;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 12px;<br \/>\n      line-height: 121%;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>.showcase-link-inputs {<br \/>\n  .showcase-link-input {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n    font-size: 1rem;<br \/>\n    background-color: white;<br \/>\n    margin-bottom: 12px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-indent {<br \/>\n    margin-left: 25px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  option {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {<br \/>\n  .native-mobile a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n    background-color: #121212;<br \/>\n    color: #f0f0ee;<br \/>\n    .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n      color: #c4c4c0;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>            \/\/ Remove all onclicks on imgs for apps to prevent image zoom on click<br \/>\n            document.querySelectorAll(&#8216;.showcase-link-image&#8217;).forEach((img) =&gt; img.removeAttribute(&#8216;onclick&#8217;));<\/p>\n<p>        <a id=\"showcase-link-7354960\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7354960\/2026\/06\/14\/spurs-victor-wembanyama-nba-finals-inexperience\/\" class=\"showcase-link-container in-content-module-link testbed-shortcode\" data-shortcode-id=\"101\" data-shortcode-string=\"showcase-link\" data-content-id=\"7354960\" data-content-post-type=\"article\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link\">What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-inner-content\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/06\/14054817\/GettyImages-2281471064-scaled-e1781430515511-1024x683.jpg?width=400&amp;quality=70\" alt=\"For Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, inexperience remains undefeated\" class=\"showcase-link-image\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-text-content\">\n<div class=\"showcase-link-title\">\n                  For Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, inexperience remains undefeated\n              <\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-excerpt\">\n                  The Spurs often dominated during the finals. But it takes more than greatness to win a championship, and the Spurs had lessons to learn.\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><strong>Moment No. 9: The end-to-end emphasis<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Though it wasn\u2019t the finish that he wanted, Wembanyama did approach the finals with his refreshing two-pronged ambition. This Game 1 block came as he sprinted in transition and turned his back to Josh Hart. The ricochet off the glass was extra telegenic, and the immediate follow-up 3 earned a great crowd pop. It was futuristic, if eventually fleeting.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Moment No. 10: The lob landing<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div>\n<div>San Antonio\u2019s lone finals win was headlined by Wembanyama\u2019s extraterrestrial-like alley-oop at the start of the fourth quarter. Madison Square Garden stage lighting made this sequence look like a James Cameron skyscraper centerpiece. The whole title fight was cinematic, indeed \u2014 replete with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7349256\/2026\/06\/10\/knicks-spurs-nba-finals-game-4-score-results-takeaways\/?eafs_enabled=false\">twists<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7358968\/2026\/06\/14\/victor-wembanyama-nba-finals-game-5-defeat\/\">heartbreaks<\/a>. We were all at the edges of our seats, then debated what the ending really meant.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>So \u2026 a sequel must be in development, right?<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><em>You can stream live sports on Fubo (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/welcome?irad=366904&amp;irmp=5579095\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Stream Free Now!<\/a>).<\/em><\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><i><span>Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of <\/span><\/i><span>The Athletic<\/span><i><span>. Restrictions may apply. <\/span><\/i><span>The Athletic<\/span><i><span> maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Victor Wembanyama\u2019s maiden postseason alternated between blockbuster and bildungsroman. He kept the world hooked, game to game and series to series, even though his San Antonio Spurs stumbled against the New York Knicks\u2019 team of destiny in the NBA Finals. \u201cThe Alien\u201d has authored a swift, eventful rise through the sport. He was the No. [&hellip;]<\/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-1999240","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\/1999240","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=1999240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1999240\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1999240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1999240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1999240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}