1-on-1 with Wemby:

Victor Wembanyama’s blood clot threatened to take away almost everything he held dearly. It also lit a fire within him to expand his world.

Months later, he found himself standing in front of Big Red and the captains of his passion project that he hand e first PowerPoint presentation of his life.

From tears to puke to cheers, this is the crazy story of Wemby and the Jackals, the NBA’s first ultras fan group. Wemby wanted to build something bigger than himself. It became so much more.

New Wemby exclusive on @TheAthleticNBA
theathletic.com/6966415/2026/0…

Devin Vassell is questionable for the Spurs tomorrow in Chicago after missing last night’s win at Phoenix with left adductor tightness. Tobias Harris remains out with the left calf strain.

NEW story:

Victor Wembanyama made a choice. It’s something he does hundreds of times a game, all the little decisions that are becoming the focal point of his game.

This time, he chose to soar and dare the defense to join him.

“I would just have them meet me in the air if dn’t.”

On Wemby the decision maker, his next evolution.

Read below on @TheAthleticNBA 👇

List of players to score 40 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes or fewer in NBA history, per @Stathead:

1. Patrick Ewing 4-13-88
2. Victor Wembanyama 2-10-26
3. Victor Wembanyama 4-10-26
4. Victor Wembanyama Tonight

There are nine players ever to have 40 points, 10 rebounds and 8 blocks in a game like Wemby did tonight. The fewest minutes anyone besides him has ever done it in is Bob Lanier's 38. Wemby did it in 34 last week against Dallas. He did it in 25 tonight.

Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player to do it in under 20 field goal attempts.

First time I can remember seeing this low post snug PnR with Wemby sealing off the defender switching like this. Love the play. Pretty much no downside.

I would say this is the best Wemby game I’ve seen this season, but it’s been a pretty good season. This is one of those nights where it looks like he is playing a different sport. He’s up to 40 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks in 25 minutes, with some unbelievable plays in there. A finger roll from beyond the free throw line, humiliating blocks, dazzling post moves. Just everything under … well, over … the Sun(s).

Wemby is evolving like a Pokemon. Wembysaur?

I know we spilled a lot of pixels comparing Wemby to Wilt the other day, but we might have to do it again. He's up to 18 points in Phoenix and it's only 2 minutes into the second quarter.

Julian Champagnie will start for Devin Vassell tonight. Mitch Johnson said that Vassell has been feeling left adductor tightness for a few games now and they decided he finally needs to rest it. Didn’t specify how long Vassell will be out but said it’s not expected to be a long-term thing.

New Spurs mailbag for your pregame reading:

🦅 Are the second unit struggles really
Luke Kornet’s fault? I did a detailed breakdown
👽 Wemby & Spurs Way lore
🧠 Mitch Johnson’s adjustments
🌮 My favorite breakfast taco in San Antonio

Read for free here on @TheAthleticNBA nytimes.com/athletic/77672…

Devin Vassell is out tonight with left adductor tightness for Spurs vs. Suns

I’ll be answering your @TheAthleticNBA Spurs mailbag questions over the weekend, so get yours in now and make them as whacky as possible. nytimes.com/athletic/77530…

New column:

No matter how breathtaking a performance might be, it has to answer to a ghost. Wilt Chamberlain is basketball omnipresence. More than 50 years after his last game, he remains the high-water mark, the brightest gold standard of dominance.

Now, Victor Wembanyama and g up into his territory. There’s a wide gulf between taking a rare stroll in Wilt’s shoes and living in them. But is the untouchable slowly becoming touchable?

Read below for free on @TheAthleticNBA 👇

“He’s basically Wilt.”

Wemby, Wilt, it’s just the two of them at the top of big man dominance on a single evening.

After Wemby’s 52-point, 24-rebound, 10-stock performance, it’s time to evaluate his early place in history. And it came against another player in Cooper Flagg who top of the game.

I sat down with @christianpclark to dive into this historic night and how these two phenoms can shape the future KD the NBA.

Read it for free on @TheAthleticNBA

nytimes.com/athletic/77554…

It was an all-time Wemby game, and the Mavericks still had a chance to win. Went back and forth with @JaredWeissNBA last night in San Antonio. nytimes.com/athletic/77554…

We need to take a moment to appreciate the full context of Wembanyama's output tonight. He had a Wilt statline crossing the 50-point, 20-rebound, 5-block treshold. The fewest minutes Wilt ever did that in was 45. Wemby did it in 34 minutes. And he only hit one three, so it's not like it's a modern basketball thing that helped him get his scoring up so high. This was just old school post work and pick-and-roll madness. Wilt stuff.

Even if you loop in a bunch of other players and cut it down to 40 points, only Bob Lanier ever did it in under 40 minutes (38). Wembanyama did this mostly through foul baiting in the post. It's a monumental achievement in his development.

If you’re new here to my analysis, foul baiting is a good thing. Its what stars are supposed to do

I'd like to introduce the Wemby Untathomability Scale, a product of a peer reviewed double blind study that has captured the peak of human experience. We just witnessed a 10, a Wilt Chamberlain night from Wemby. Let’s dive into a night for the ages.