Spurs' Victor Wembanyama: Earning Award Eligibility 'Means More Than People Know'

SAN ANTONIO — The MVP chants kept coming Friday night.

Victor Wembanyama, donning his usual sleeveless warm-up shirt with the San Antonio Spurs' Fiesta shorts, strutted out of the tunnel with a question mark on his head.

If he played, it would bode well for the severity of his rib contusion suffered in the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers two games prior. It'd also give him a chance to play for his end-of-season award eligibility. He only needed 20 minutes to hit it.

Four hours later, the Frenchman sat in front of a media contingent: no surprise, considering he secured his eligibility and scored 40 points in the process.

"It feels like it's a box that's checked," Wembanyama said of his 26-minute outing. "Lots of things happen, and that's a good conclusion to it.”

Apr 10, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) goes up to dunk ahead of Dallas Mavericks center Moussa Cisse (30) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

As Wembanyama warmed up, the chants crowning him the league's most valuable player commenced. Each time he reached the free throw line, they continued.

Those interviewing him postgame in the small room within the tunnels at Frost Bank Center couldn't have kept them going. But his teammates picked up the slack.

"The game just rewards him," Spurs rookie Dylan Harper said, praising Wembanyama. "The Basketball Gods reward him every day. Just the way he comes in, his attitude, his approach to everything, it's the most mature I've seen out of anyone his age."

He wasn't the only one impressed. Even a seemingly inconsequential question — whether he felt there was more to reaching 65 games played than meets the eye — sparked a discussion. Wembanyama, microphone in hand, led the seminar.

"It's a very interesting question," he began.

The 22-year-old, informed of Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham's ineligible status after suffering a collapsed lung on March 17, started there.

He asked if Cunningham was back to playing; after learning the guard — like Luka Dončić — would still fall short of the threshold, he thought a few seconds.

"Especially Cade and Luka," Wembanyama said, "if they aren't in the (end-of)-season awards, for sure it's not going to reflect their impact on the season. But at the same time, in my opinion, it's good to have the threshold limit ... it's a good question."

Nov 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić (77) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Wembanyama welcomed suggestions. He opined that 75 percent of games played — 61.5 games, rounded to 62 — would be fair. One reporter went as high as 80 percent, which would raise the bar by one additional game, to 66. Such a solution might draw more outcry.

"I don't think there's going to be an exception made this year," Wembanyama said, leaving the discussion open-ended. "It'd be somewhat unfair. But we'll see."

This season, Wembanyama has logged a total of 1,866 minutes across 65 appearances, including the NBA Cup Final against the New York Knicks. That total is low compared to the likes of Dončić (2,289 minutes), Cunningham (2,150 minutes), Anthony Edwards (2,137 minutes) and even LeBron James (1,973 minutes) — all of whom are ineligible this season.

That discrepancy is part of what's caused the most controversy surrounding the rule. Dončić, specifically, has the most to lose. The point guard eclipsed 15,000 career points this season, on top of becoming only the second player since Michael Jordan in 1987 to reach 600 points in March and one of only 10 players to score 600 in any month.

Got the ball rolling on a three-minute discussion Victor Wembanyama indulged in about the NBA's 65-game rule.

This was fascinating to be part of. I really implore you to take a listen. Vic is, as usual, incredibly thoughtful, smart and willing to talk things through. #PorVida pic.twitter.com/CJFQ0lIPeC
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) April 11, 2026

Before suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain against the Oklahoma City Thunder, his production helped keep the Lakers in contention for a top-three seed in the Western Conference. Even his former coach chimed in on his output potentially going unrecognized.

"Luka is having an MVP season," Jason Kidd said. "He’s playing at a very, very high level. For him to .. not to be rewarded for that season is unfortunate. I know the NBA will look at these cases, and hopefully find a way to make sure that guys don’t get left off the list.”

The Spurs, in regards to Wembanyama, are simply glad they don't have to petition for an exception regarding their star. Like the rest of the league, they have empathy.

“At some point, there has to be a happy medium," De'Aaron Fox said. "Like with Cade having a collapsed lung. He was pretty much going to play most games."

If Fox had a say, he'd likely grant Cunningham an exception. Perhaps Dončić, too, given their shared understanding of fatherhood. But, as he noted, not everyone can get one. Nor does he have an answer for how to fix the system for the better.

Dec 18, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) talks with coach Mitch Johnson during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Frost Bank Center. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

For three years now, Wembanyama has led the league in blocked shots. As opposing offenses have become more aware of his presence, that number has decreased, yet his ability to alter team strategy, on its own, speaks to the impact he has.

A year ago, the center would have appreciated hardware commemorating the kind of defender he was. Deep vein thrombosis took that chance away; a calf strain last November threatened to do the same, leaving him only five missed absences from Dec. 13 onward.

It made Wembanyama even more grateful for his special moment on Friday.

"It means a lot," he said. "More than people know. Coming back from a terrible place ... if I'm here today, it's because of all the people that have allowed me to work through this and get better. I wouldn't be able to do what I've done this season if I hadn't worked so hard."

Wembanyama's MVP case is slim given Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's offensive consistency, the Thunder's overall success and Nikola Jokić's — should he record 15 minutes against the Spurs Sunday night to secure his own eligibility — statistical dominance.

He does have one award all-but officially secured, however. Three years into his career, Wembanyama has potential to be the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year.

"If he played the amount of games last year, he would have got it," Harper said. "This year, he's in line for it, but he has years and years to keeping stacking trophies up. We're going to do everything in our power to help him get those ... everyone in the league is on notice."

Minutes aside, Wembanyama has done his part to help turn the Spurs around. He knows he's not there, yet, but he'd like to eclipse .500 on his career sooner rather than later. He also knows how much work awaits him in order to achieve that.

It's what he wishes the outside world, even those inside the small room deep in the tunnels at Frost Bank Center, understood a little more.

One open-ended discussion at a time, he plans to solve that issue.

"(It takes) a tremendous amount of work," Wembanyama said of reaching 65 games. "Lots and lots of talks with the medical staff, figuring out the best plan. More, I would say than any year in my career, mental work to be able to play through pain. But we made it."