Victor Wembanyama is already measuring himself against the best the NBA has to offer, and what stands out to him isn’t just the talent. It’s the grind.
Heading into this season, the Spurs star pointed to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic as the kind of players who have helped shape his view of success, according to Matt Guzman of Sports Illustrated. Wembanyama said what hits him most is the way those guys sustain greatness over time.
“It's so impressive. It's so impressive because I'm now seeing first-hand what it feels like, what it looks like to play intentionally,” Wembanyama said.
“To play in the Finals. To play nine-plus months of NBA basketball.
#Spurs star Victor Wembanyama spoke at length about the admiration he has for players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who consistently sit among the league’s best players.
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) October 19, 2026
He concluded his answer by naming Shai, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić:
“It's so impressive. It's…
“And I wonder how these guys do it for 10, 15 years … it's the most impressive thing about great NBA players.”
That perspective comes from watching three players who have spent years at the top of the league and collected the sport’s biggest hardware along the way. Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP in 2025 and 2026 and also led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the championship in 2025.
Antetokounmpo took home MVP honors in 2019 and 2020, then won the title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022. Jokic claimed MVP in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and added a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023.
Wembanyama has already put his own stamp on the league. He won NBA Defensive Player of the Year this past year, and the Spurs reached the NBA Finals before falling to the New York Knicks.
Now San Antonio opens the season with a matchup against Oklahoma City on Tuesday, October 20, at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
In Other News...
Spurs Just Got A Bigger SGA Problem Than Last Season
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already a headache for the Spurs, and this preseason suggests the problem may be getting bigger rather than smaller. Oklahoma City is folding more off-ball movement and catch-and-shoot looks into his game, which adds another layer to a scorer San Antonio had already worked to slow down. The Thunder are also getting Jalen Williams back as a secondary playmaker, giving their offense another way to create pressure before Gilgeous-Alexander even catches the ball.
For San Antonio, the challenge is no longer just about picking up SGA at the point of attack and hoping the defense can hold up after that. The Spurs now have to track him through actions away from the ball, while also finding ways to clog Williams' passing lanes and keep Oklahoma City from turning simple movement into easy looks. It is a tougher assignment than last season, and one the Spurs will have to solve if they want to make life uncomfortable for the Thunder again. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Hit With Early Tobias Harris Setback Fans Feared
Tobias Harris arrived as one of the Spurs bigger offseason additions, brought in to add scoring punch and a veteran voice to a young locker room. But the first chapter of his San Antonio stint will have to wait a little longer, after the forward suffered a left calf strain in the preseason and has been ruled out for the season opener.
Head coach Mitch Johnson said Harris is still progressing, but he needs more time on the court before he is ready to go. For a team that signed him to help steady the rotation and provide leadership, the early absence is a reminder that the Spurs will have to open the year without one of the most experienced pieces they added. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs 2022 Draft Class Just Took Another Brutal Hit
The Spurs 2022 draft class has taken a rough turn as preseason roster cuts continue to reshape the league. Jeremy Sochan, Blake Wesley and Malaki Branham, all first-round picks from that class, were waived by their respective teams as clubs trimmed down ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, a reminder of how quickly early draft momentum can fade when a young player never quite finds a long-term fit.
Sochan was waived by the Knicks after earlier stops with the Spurs and the Blazers, while Wesley and Branham were let go off Exhibit 10 deals and could wind up with G League affiliates. For San Antonio, the bigger picture is hard to miss: the franchise has already moved on to players who bring more versatile offensive tools, leaving that once-promising draft group looking more like a cautionary tale than a foundation. [Read more 🡒]