Victor Wembanyama won't play in the last Spurs game

The Spurs declared that Victor Wembanyama will be absent from Sunday's season finale versus the Detroit Pistons, concluding a year where he is highly expected to secure the rookie of the year accolade.

His final statistics: averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and leading the NBA with 3.6 blocked shots per game. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hinted after Friday's victory against Denver that Wembanyama might be sidelined for the last game, a decision confirmed by the team on Saturday. The official explanation given was the management of a right ankle injury. Wembanyama, selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, played in 71 games with the Spurs. The team heads into the final game with a 21-60 record, tied with Portland for the worst record in the Western Conference.

In his final game as a rookie, a thrilling 121-120 win over defending NBA champions Denver on Friday night, he racked up 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and five 3-pointers. The Spurs staged a remarkable comeback from 23 points down, marking their biggest comeback victory of the season. Wembanyama punctuated the win with a celebratory spike of the ball as time expired. He joins a select group as just the fourth player, and the first rookie, to achieve a season with at least 1,500 points, 250 assists, and 250 blocked shots. The others who achieved this feat were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (five times), Hakeem Olajuwon (twice), and former Spurs legend David Robinson (twice). This accomplishment hadn't been accomplished since 1993-94, when both Olajuwon and Robinson achieved it.

Wembanyama will not feature for the Spurs again until next season, but fans can expect to see him in action long before that. He's anticipated to be part of the French roster for the Paris Olympics this summer.


He has reiterated multiple times that he believes the Spurs are on the right trajectory to return as contenders.

Source The Score: Wembanyama won't play vs. Pistons, ending rookie season