Victor Wembanyama isn’t just adjusting to the NBA - he’s challenging it. And after San Antonio’s 112-103 win over the Orlando Magic, he made it clear: if teams want to turn basketball into a wrestling match, he’s not backing down.
“I know they do that because they don't want to play the game. They don't want to play a basketball game,” Wembanyama said postgame, referring to the overly physical defense he faced in the fourth quarter - particularly from Magic guard Desmond Bane.
It was a chippy finish to a game that saw Wembanyama take a shoulder from Bane that earned the Magic’s leading scorer a flagrant foul. The contact came as Wemby was simply making his way up the court, and it was emblematic of the way teams have tried to deal with the 7-foot-5 unicorn all season: get physical, get rough, get under his skin.
But Wembanyama? He’s not rattled.
“I don't think I was frustrated,” he said calmly, as if he’s seen this movie before - because he has. “Our job on offense is to make it a basketball game, so that's how we're going to beat them.”
And beat them they did. Wembanyama led the Spurs with 25 points, continuing to pace the team in scoring this season and helping San Antonio notch its 33rd win of the year.
But the numbers only tell part of the story. What stood out was Wemby’s poise amid the chaos - a sign of maturity beyond his years and gamesmanship that’s quickly becoming part of his identity.
This kind of physicality isn’t new. Teams across the league - from the Suns to the Thunder, Timberwolves to Pelicans - have made it a point to rough Wembanyama up.
They bump him off his spots, crowd his space, and swipe at him every time he touches the ball. And, for the most part, it’s worked.
Each of those teams has handed the Spurs at least one loss this season.
The strategy makes sense. Wembanyama’s frame, as freakish as it is, still hasn’t filled out.
He’s listed under 250 pounds, and at 7-foot-5, that kind of length comes with a target. Add in a recent injury history - including blood clots in his right shoulder that ended his season last year - and it’s no surprise teams are testing his durability.
This season alone, Wemby has dealt with a calf strain that kept him out for a month, a hyperextended left knee that sidelined him to start the new year, and most recently, soreness in that same left calf. He was listed as questionable heading into the matchup with Orlando.
But when asked if the soreness was related to the earlier injury, Wembanyama cut off the question.
“What injury?” he asked, with a slight grin.
When the reporter clarified it was about the calf, Wemby didn’t offer much certainty.
“I don't know. I don't know that it's related to my injury before. Out of caution, it's almost like we're going to consider that it's related.”
It was a telling moment - not just for what he said, but how he said it. There’s a quiet confidence in Wembanyama that suggests he’s not here to make excuses. He’s here to hoop.
And he’s doing it under less-than-ideal circumstances. The win over the Magic came after a travel day that would wear down just about anyone. The Spurs started the day in Charlotte, made a detour in Atlanta, and didn’t land in San Antonio until just hours before tip-off.
“Knowing all the special conditions, it's been a long-ass day,” Wemby said. “I mean, we've been awake since, like, 6:00-something am Charlotte time.
"They do that because they don't want to play a basketball game.
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) February 2, 2026
Our job on offense is to make it a basketball game. That's how we're going to beat them..."⬇️
-Wemby to @RealTomPetrini on Desmond Bane's physicality in W v Orl. Bane, a flagrant for elbow at Vic late in 3rd#Spurs pic.twitter.com/7Q1lQGXE4f
It's close to midnight now. So yeah, a lot of caution in that report.”
Caution might be the word on the Spurs’ medical report, but it’s not what opposing defenses are showing Wembanyama. They’re testing him nightly. And so far, he’s answering the bell.
The league is learning that physicality alone won’t be enough to slow down this generational talent. Wembanyama’s still learning, still growing - but he’s not backing down. If anything, he’s just getting started.