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Sports Illustrated

Sport

Chris Mannix

Chris Mannix: Victor Wembanyama Delivered the Defining Game of His Career

Victor Wembanyama Chris Mannix Mitch Johnson Spurs Shai GilgeousAlexander Thunder Chet Holmgren Wemby NBA Western Conference

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander raised the MVP trophy, and from across the floor Victor Wembanyama quietly seethed. For months, Wembanyama had been chasing that particular hardware, submitting performances worthy of it on the court, lobbying for consideration from the voters off it. On Sunday, the NBA revealed that Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t just win his second straight award—he won in a landslide. And on Monday, minutes before Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, Wembanyama had to watch him receive it.

Did it make the game feel personal?, a reporter asked Wembanyama.

“Yeah, for sure,” said Wembanyama. “Everything you just said.”

Gilgeous-Alexander earned the MVP this season, but Game 1 offered definitive evidence: Wembanyama is the best player in the world. Final stat line in San Antonio’s 122–115 double-overtime win over Oklahoma City: 41 points, 24 rebounds, three blocks and three assists. He was 14 of 25 from the floor and 12 of 13 from the free throw line. He played 49 minutes and finished a game-high +16. He made one three and it was a doozy, a 28-foot bomb at the end of the first overtime that forced a second.

WEMBY FROM WAY DOWNTOWN 🤯

(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/mGhIMlIfix
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 19, 2026

“I thought his level of physicality and execution through physicality was tremendous,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson.

Did Johnson think Wembanyama played with a little extra juice?

Said Johnson, “A hundred percent.”

Seriously—we’re running out of superlatives to describe Wembanyama. He had three blocks, but only because the Thunder had no interest in challenging him. Oklahoma City has the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year (Chet Holmgren) who was so hopelessly overmatched he rarely defended Wembanyama. Wembanyama had attempted one—one—three before easing into the dagger that kept the Spurs in it.

There are no comps for Wembanyama. Not good ones, anyway. He’s Billy Madison on the schoolyard. He is Bill Russell meets Wilt Chamberlain meets Stephen Curry—and he’s years away from being a finished product.

“This league’s about the players,” said Johnson, “and he’s a really good one.”

All season Johnson has narrated Wembanyama’s brilliance, turning postgame news conferences into Wembanyama testimonials. After a February outburst of 40 points in 26 minutes against the Lakers. Or a 39-point, 11-rebound effort against Boston in March. In early April, Johnson marveled at the 41-point, 18-rebound masterpiece Wembanyama put on in a duel with Nikola Jokić. In a way, Monday’s performance was special. In a way, it’s nothing new.

“I think that young man has a rare desire to step into every moment that’s in front of him,” said Johnson. “And I think he has showed in his three years in a lot of different situations with a lot of different circumstances that he’s going to attack those moments. Doesn’t mean they’ll always work out for him or be exactly the outcome that he wants, but he has some rare God-given ability. He puts in even more work and preparation into try to maximizing that and his disposition and mentality and approach is reflected at times in the way he handles those moments.”

Here comes Wembanyama, leading the most improbable championship charge. With De’Aaron Fox out, the Spurs plugged 20-year-old rookie Dylan Harper in, creating the youngest starting lineup in conference finals history. Harper responded with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven steals. Stephon Castle had as many turnovers (11) as assists but spearheaded a defense that held Gilgeous-Alexander to 24 points (on 7-of-23 shooting) in 51 minutes.

“We as a team are ready to go in any environment in any place against anybody,” said Wembanyama. “Even though we still got a lot to learn, our effort should be over anybody else’s. And tonight we were relentless.”

Oklahoma City was the best team in the NBA this season, but it just cannot figure San Antonio out. The Spurs have won five of the six matchups this season, boatracing the Thunder in two of the wins and outexecuting them in the others. Oklahoma City shot 40.6% from the floor in Game 1, while struggling to get anything going against Wembanyama in the paint.

“He’s a great player with high impact, obviously,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “And when you play against those players, it’s kind of an acquired thing, you know? You’re learning as you go. You can talk about as much you want, but you gotta develop a feel for it.”

And quickly. This series is just getting started, and Oklahoma City can take solace in the competitiveness of the opener. Jalen Williams (26 points) was solid in his first game back from injury, Alex Caruso (31 points) was brilliant off the bench and it’s highly unlikely Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren (eight points) have back-to-back stinkers. The Thunder have faced adversity before, and they know how to respond to it.

“It was a competitive game,” said Johnson. “It felt like both teams kept doing enough not to get put away.”

Still, this Spurs team isn’t going away. History suggests this is where uprisings stall, where youth and inexperience are magnified. Not San Antonio. These Spurs 20-somethings thrive in these moments. Wembanyama barking at Holmgren after dunking on him. Castle eyeballing Gilgeous-Alexander after his finish at the rim. For generations, the Spurs have been assembling winning teams, and with this group it’s clear they have done it again.

“We still got a lot to do, a lot to learn, a lot of trials to go through that we don’t even know of,” said Wembanyama. “But we have a chance that’s because they’ve built the team like this.