How NBA Cup Rule Quirk Benefits Spurs Star Victor Wembanyama

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs will play 83 games in 2025-26.

After a statement win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup Semifinal, Mitch Johnson's squad remained in Las Vegas to prepare for a bout with the New York Knicks. Each player on the winning team is set to earn over $500 thousand.

Victor Wembanyama, meanwhile, has an extra incentive waiting for him.

According to the league, the NBA Cup Final doesn't count toward team record or individual statistics. As a result, then-Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis' stellar 40-point, 20-rebound performance in the 2023 NBA Cup Final was wiped from all memory but his own; neither team can earn a one-game advantage in playoff standings, either.

But Wembanyama will get an extra excused absence.

For those wondering: Tonight’s NBA Cup Final does not count toward team record or individual player statistics, but it will count toward Victor Wembanyama’s required 65-game minimum. #PorVida
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) December 16, 2025

Wembanyama missed 12 games with a left calf strain between Nov. 16 and Dec. 13, when he made his long-awaited return to face the Thunder. He can now miss six more games for the remainder of the season because of the NBA Cup Final. It will count toward his 65-game minimum threshold.

In his absence, the Spurs relied on a committee of several players, including De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Luke Kornet, Stephon Castle and even David Jones Garcia. Wembanyama's team finished 9-3 during that span.

"We have a really, really talented roster," Devin Vassell said. "We play for each other, and we don't care who gets the success, as long as we're winning. That's all that matters."

“We’re on the right path,” Wembanyama added, "and for the first time in my career, we're winning much more than we're losing."

Dec 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) flexes against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the third quarter at T-Mobile Arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Now healthy, Wembanyama — still on a temporary minutes restriction — he'll look to keep San Antonio's momentum going. But he has a personal goal to chase.

Currently, Wembanyama is set to be eligible to sign a five-year, $255.6 million rookie maximum extension at the start of the league's fiscal year in July, based on a starting salary worth 25 percent of the total projected cap beginning in 2027-28.

Since the Frenchman missed out on awards last season, he has to win MVP this season to automatically bump his Year 1 salary up to 30 percent of the total cap. But he can still reach that figure more modestly.

Next season, if Wembanyama lands on one of the league's three All-NBA squads, wins Defensive Player of the Year or MVP, he'll be eligible for the five year, $306.7 million deal entering his fifth season.

Wembanyama's award eligibility this season only boosts his personal résumé. He can still earn his first Defensive Player of the Year Award and a spot on an All-NBA team, but it won't factor into his contract extension.

That doesn't mean he isn't gunning for it, with help from an extra high-stakes game.

"They don't play a brand of basketball as sophisticated as the Miami Heat or the Thunder," Wembanyama said, previewing the Knicks, "but their physicality is top in the league, so it's a very tough team to play against."

More from Spurs On SI: