{"id":484356,"date":"2026-02-22T19:37:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T19:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/484356\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T19:37:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T19:37:07","slug":"full-circle-moment-for-spurs-victor-wembenyama-in-austin-the-daily-texan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/484356\/","title":{"rendered":"Full circle moment for Spurs\u2019 Victor Wembenyama in Austin \u2013 The Daily Texan"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCenter Victor Wembanyama puts on his warmup shirt during the San Antonio Spurs v. Sacramento Kings game at Moody Center on Saturday, Feb. 22.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

367 days ago, on Feb. 20, 2025, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, one of professional basketball\u2019s most recognizable players, received news a young player never wants to hear.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYour season is done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The then 21-year-old international superstar was diagnosed with a rare blood clot in his right shoulder, following his first NBA All-Star appearance during a medical evaluation on his return to San Antonio.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The announcement of his season-ending injury came hours before the Spurs\u2019 first of two games at the Moody Center during the 2025 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was a disappointing end to the prodigy\u2019s second season in the NBA. In his shortened 46-game season, Wembanyama was one of the bright spots on an otherwise poor-performing San Antonio squad that was 12th in the Western Conference standings at the time of his injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember the All-Star Game last year was the worst I had ever felt on a basketball court in my life,\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cI had 5% maybe, of blood flow in my right arm \u2026 obviously I\u2019m feeling much better, but honestly, I think it doesn\u2019t really compare to last year. I think my diagnosis explained a lot of the way I was feeling back then.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was a long journey for San Antonio\u2019s franchise player, but just a little over a calendar year later, Wembanyama and the Spurs have morphed into an unrecognizable team from the last time they were in Austin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s directly affecting the game or indirectly with his gravity,\u201d Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said. \u201cIt sets the table for everybody else. And it can be hard at times \u2026 I still can\u2019t imagine a 22-year-old with so many gifts and talents and weapons to just trust that being sharp fundamentally still leads to greatness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wembanyama was nothing short of excellent on the court in the second and final game at the Moody Center. The two-time All Star led a dominant effort in the fourth quarter to slam the door on the Sacramento Kings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The center led the Spurs in points, rebounding, assists and blocks for an impressive stat line of 28 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and four blocks in San Antonio\u2019s 139-122 blowout victory over Sacramento \u2014 a performance seemingly thought of as impossible around this time one year ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wembanyama checked out of the game when the game was surely in hand for the Spurs, with just over five minutes remaining and a 26-point lead. The Moody Center crowd stood up from its seats to give a standing applause to the superstar as he checked out for some well-deserved rest.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that was (an) above average night for us and for me, but it wasn\u2019t amazing either,\u201d Wembenyama said. \u201cMy goal is to make that the standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Spurs hold a very comfortable seven-game lead of the second seed in the west and are just two and a half games back of the defending NBA champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder, for the top seed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t care whether we\u2019re playing pickup, one on one, he\u2019s gonna play hard to win,\u201d Spurs guard Stephon Castle said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although the Spurs are San Antonio\u2019s team, wearing their \u201cCity Edition\u201d jerseys with \u201cSan Antonio\u201d sprawled out on the front on both nights, the Austin crowd at the Moody Center gave the Spurs a much-needed taste of home in the midst of their yearly \u201cRodeo Roadtrip.\u201d The set of games is a grueling stretch of road games in the middle of the season during the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, taking up tenant space at the Frost Bank Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to be close to home. It\u2019s great to have our fans here.\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cIt\u2019s a nice little extension of the break, because we know we\u2019re going to be out of there (on the road) for the next few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Spurs won\u2019t have such a friendly crowd for the rest of the month until they return home in early March, San Antonio has certainly got off to a hot start on its yearly road trip, jumping out to a 4-0 record and sweeping its Moody Center games for the first time in franchise history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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