'Ready As You Can Be': Wemby, Spurs Actually Have Lots of Big-Game Experience

Victor Wembanyama has already played against the best under the highest pressure possible, and San Antonio is full of leaders to help him navigate his first NBA playoff run.

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; France power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) shoots against United States guard Kevin Durant (7) and shooting guard Stephen Curry (4) in the second half in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs are set to play their first playoff series in seven years, and they're a true contender led by MVP candidate and DPoY favorite Victor Wembanyama.

San Antonio won 62 games to match the regular-season total from the 2014 title team and finished third overall in offense, defense, and net rating. An elite 10-man rotation is headlined by a gamebreaking force in Wembanyama and features multiple other two-way stars, complimentary wings, and veteran leaders.

The Spurs are widely recognized as a top threat to dethrone the Oklahoma City Thunder, but that designation always comes with the mandatory acknowledgement that this young team hasn't been through a playoff run as a group together. Attached to that caveat is the historical fact that it would be almost unprecedented for a team to end a long playoff drought with a title, much less behind a young star.

It's Wembanyama's first time playing in the NBA postseason, and that's cause for celebration in San Antonio, in Spurs Nation, in France and across the Basketball World. But this is not the first time the Frenchman has put it all on the line, and he's surrounded by people who understand what it takes to achieve the ultimate goal in front of him now.

"Everybody's a little more locked in, everybody's a little more involved," Wembanyama said this week. "I've missed playing in high stakes games."

That's "I've missed it," not "I've never done it before."

Facing Greatness, Chasing Gold

Some may have already forgotten, but this is a young man who led his country to within a few baskets of a gold medal in his home Olympics at the age of 20.

Fresh off a sensational rookie season, Wembanyama stood for the French national anthem in front of a thundering crowd in Paris, toe-to-toe with the greatest American basketball players of today and of the last 20 years.

Team USA boasted 11 All-Stars, seven NBA champions, three Finals MVP winners, and four regular-season MVPs. Team France featured the reigning Rookie of the Year, one All-Star, zero NBA titles, a handful of NBA role players and others who play in Europe and other professional leagues around the world.

For all the talk about how Wembanyama lacks experience, it's likely that he has already played the biggest game of his life. With his president and countless stars in attendance, his gigantic frame supported the gold-medal hopes of his entire country and he faced down an empire and one of the greatest collections of basketball talent ever assembled for a meaningful competition.

James scored the first basket, slicing to the rim in transition for a two-handed jam that got a pop out of the crowd. Seconds later, the fresh-faced Wembanyama spotted up from well beyond the 3-point arc to answer.

The next play, Wembanyama was waiting near the rim to deter James from dunking it again, though he kicked out to Devin Booker for 3. Wembanyama posted up Joel Embiid, spinning his slender frame past him and placing the ball in the hoop with his off hand.

When next Wembanyama caught the ball on the block, he leaned all the way forward to catch the entry pass and from that position and immediately tapped a pass to a cutting Guerschon Yabusele for a dunk.

The 7-foot-4 rising NBA sophomore grabbed a board, pushed in transition, hesitated at the arc to freeze Embiid, then took two dribbles before a power jam.

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; France power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) dunks against United States centre Joel Embiid (11) in the first quarter in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Wembanyama did all of these things in the first five minutes of the biggest game of his life at 20 years old. That extremely talented Team USA roster? Their entire defensive strategy became about denying the kid the ball, and not only did he score anyway but many of France's other scoring opportunities against a defense that was bent out of shape or entirely collapsed because of him. He grabbed offensive boards, set up his teammates, and did all the little things.

The Wembanyama-shaped defense also featured highlights and low-key impact that was pretty obvious to anyone watching. He matched up on the big strong guys and the small fast guys and everyone in between, played at the center of a zone, and mucked it up for all of Team USA. Some of the best scorers in the history of the game drove the lane and thought better of it.

He stuffed Embiid as the experienced big man tried to draw a foul in the post. Curry caught in the corner and jabbed baseline. Wembanyama shaded him, then recovered when Steph took a dribble to his left and readied for a shot. When the big guy jumped Steph passed out of it, one of several times that game when the best shooter in history gave it up on account of Wembanyama. He did get one right over his fingertips, though.

James sized up Wembanyama from the free throw line, pumped, and got him to bite on the fake. The King launched a bit too far from the basket to dunk it on the step through so he tried to lob it off the backboard. Against most players he would have been clear to dunk it home, but Wembanyama recovered to help break up the play.

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; United States guard LeBron James (6) reaches for the ball against France power forward Guerschon Yabusele (7) and power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) in the first half in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

In the second half, the kid who grew up a 50-minute train ride away emulating Kevin Durant slammed a putback dunk over KD and ripped a 3-point shot over his long arms, hyping up the crowd like a gladiator checking to make sure everyone was entertained. He did that several times throughout the night.

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; France power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) reacts in the first half against the United States in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The level of competition could not have been higher, and the stakes could not have been higher, and calling it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is underselling it. Wembanyama could play for 300 more years and might not ever see another home Olympics, or a single game that means more to him in the moment. It's about as close to the scenario Michael Jordan faced in Space Jam as you could get in real life, and Wembanyama is probably more likely to be abducted by aliens than he is to play in another Paris Olympics.

Under the brightest lights, against only the cream of the crop, Wembanyama performed at his brilliant best. He scored 26 points, more than any of the prolific scorers on the USA side.

Les Bleus trailed for most of the game, but they made a late push in front of the roaring Parisian crowd. Wembanyama slammed home his own miss over Durant and Curry to make it a one-possession game with three minutes left.

Then Steph Curry did the thing where he rips out your organs one by one and heaves them into a garbage disposal 30 feet away. He did it four times in a row in the final three minutes, and every American in the building said "night night" as the French announcer exclaimed, "This devil named Curry is hurting us!"

If not for an all-time great shooting performance from the greatest shooter ever, Wembanyama likely would have tasted the glory of gold instead of the bitterness of silver.

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; France power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) wears the silver medal after the gold medal basketball game against the United States during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

France came out on the short end, but not because Wembanyama wilted under a level of pressure few people have ever experienced. His legendary performance is the main reason they ever had a chance to begin with.

In every movement and every emotive gesture, Wembanyama showed both how much the moment meant to him and how ready he was for it.

When the buzzer sounded, Wembanyama looked crushed. He fought tears as he shook hands with the legends he just battled with, sharing a long embrace with Durant. His eyes and nose red, he clapped and waved to the fans to thank them for their support and hugged his mom.

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; United States guard Kevin Durant (7) embraces France power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) after the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images | Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images

After pushing Goliath to the brink as a fraction of the player he knew he could become, Wembanyama delivered a chilling warning.

"I'm learning, and I'm worried for the opponents in a couple of years. NBA, FIBA, everywhere," he said.

A Lifetime of Preparation

Fast forward a couple of years (actually more like 20 months), and Wembanyama has officially arrived as the game-breaking force he always looked like he'd become.

He added some muscle to his frame, and added even more skill and refinement to his game. He's been to two All-Star games and planted his flag as a top-three player in the world. He suffered a serious health scare that ended his second season prematurely, trained with Kevin Garnett and Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaolin monks, and came back stronger than ever.

As he propelled the Spurs to a historic turnaround and 62 victories, he stepped up in most every big moment that this regular season had to offer. Marquee matchups against the defending-champion Thunder in the NBA Cup and on Christmas Day showed how impactful he can be even off the bench in limited minutes. As he pushed the hammer down to close the year, San Antonio went 28-2 in his last 30 games.

Down a point against the Suns with a chance to win the ballgame and punch San Antonio's ticket to the postseason, Wembanyama held the ball until the double never came and dribbled once before launching an unblockable mid-range jumper through the twine for the win.

Mar 19, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots the game winning shot over Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) in the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

"It's a shot I've worked on," Wembanyama said. "This shot, especially, it's a shot I've been working on with Tim Martin as far as six years ago... it's just reps. I mean, we got the answer to any situations that come in front of us."

Wembanyama would have been about 16 at the time, which is right around when he made his professional debut and that video of him practicing against Rudy Gobert went viral. NBA teams already knew of him at that point, and he already knew that he wanted to be among the game's greats. More than that, he'd been planning for it and working toward it.

16-year-old Victor Wembanyama playing 2-on-2 vs. Rudy Gobert and Vincent Poirier.

He's 7-foot-3 with nearly an 8-foot wingspan, and he can do it all 😳 (via @Nanterre92) pic.twitter.com/32D2vePyYW

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 17, 2020

"Wemby's basically somebody who realized early in life that they're going to be special," Bill Simmons said on a recent episode of his podcast. "All these decisions that he made, from almost being a pre teenager on, 'all this stuff is going to happen to me, I got to be ready.'

"He's like, learning how to fall, he trains his legs, all the exercises he does," Simmons said. "Learning how to speak English, right? His English is the best, I think, of any foreign guy that's come in the league who's been a star because he was practicing it forever, knowing that at some point I'm going to be a superstar in America, and I have to be bilingual. Calculating is the wrong word, but the way it was calculated, it was really smart."

"He's a little Taylor Swift," said guest Chuck Klosterman. "He made a decision at a very young age that, like everything about my life is going to in some way be involved with success at this one singular deal. Everything about me, even the things about my personality that have no relationship to basketball, they can't in any way contradict basketball. I can't get really into something that could somehow damage this."

Wemby Is the Taylor Swift of NBA Prodigies pic.twitter.com/BHsvNgEVEa

— The Ringer (@ringer) April 1, 2026

Wembanyama truly is a prodigy who from a young age has honed his craft in front of a public that expected greatness the more they saw from him. Every game he's played in since he was a boy has featured scouts, stakes, and anticipation.

In the 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup, he squared off in a championship game against Chet Holmgren and Team USA. Wembanyama led France with 22 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks, and was beside himself when he fouled out of a game that his team lost by a single bucket.

Wembanyana played three seasons of professional hoops as a teenager, including a pair of playoff runs in France's top league. His final year before being drafted, he won the MVP award after leading the league in minutes, points, rebounds, and blocks per game.

That season featured a pre-draft exhibition for the ages as Wemby and Metropolitans 92 traveled across the ocean to face off against G League Ignite and highly-touted prospect Scoot Henderson. In his first game on an NBA court under NBA rules, in front of NBA stars and over 200 NBA scouts and executives, Wembanyama went ballistic for 37 points with seven made 3s. He followed it up with 36 points and 11 rebounds in the second game.

"It was great, it was really a dive into the unknown for me, different court, different basketballs, different style of play, different moves really," he said this week. "It was really hard, especially in the first half, but my brain, my consciousness kinda switched off in the second half and I just let my flow work."

A few weeks later, he led Mets 92 to an unexpected appearance in the finals. In that postseason, at the age of 18 in a physical league full of grown men, Wembanyama averaged 17.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks over 32 minutes per game. His underdog team came up just short.

After about 2,000 words of this, does Wembanyama sound like he lacks experience? Or does he sound like the most impressive and experienced 22-year-old to ever step on a basketball court?

Asked about his own readiness for big moments ahead of this playoff run, Wembanyama thought for a long while before blending humility with confidence in his preparation.

"As ready as you can be," he said. "It's really what you work on all year but also like your whole career coming here. We're dreaming of playoffs as kids before we come here."

The Right Kind of Help

Wembanyama said on draft night that he wanted to start winning titles as soon as possible, and the Spurs did a remarkable job of surrounding him with talent, and, yes, experience, so that his first playoff appearance in Year 3 has a chance of ending with the 22-year-old holding the trophy instead of watching someone else celebrate.

San Antonio went out and got De'Aaron Fox, who made the All-Star Game in his first full season next to Wembanyama. Fox's speed, defense and playmaking make him a perfect on-court fit next to Wemby, and he's been a valuable resource for the pair of slashing guards that San Antonio drafted in the top four in the past two years.

Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are young but mighty, and they each figure to play a big role in their first postseason. Fox only appeared in one playoff series in Sacramento, and his seven postseason games played are the sum total for San Antonio's top-seven scorers this year.

But the Spurs have diligently filled out their roster with role players who make up for the main thing this team lacks.

After Wembanyama's rookie season, the Spurs gave up literally nothing to acquire Harrison Barnes and a pick swap from the Kings. Barnes is an NBA Champion, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and a consummate professional with 71 playoff games across a dozen playoff series.

June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) in the second half in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The former McDonald's All American has been playing alongside NBA talent since 18 years ago in high school (shoutout to Spurs legend and Ames Iowa's Doug McDermott), and his biggest accolades came from playing a supporting role for some of the greatest players ever.

Barnes isn't the only champ in the rotation. The Spurs' signing of Luke Kornet might have flown under the larger NBA radar, but San Antonio addressed a roster weakness at backup center and also brought in a key piece of the Boston Celtics' 2024 title run. Kornet has played in the Finals twice, logging 43 games across 13 playoff series.

Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) walks into the arena before a game against the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Further down the bench and also acquired in the last year, Kelly Olynyk has appeared in 48 postseason contests and played a bunch when the Heat made the Finals in 2020. Mason Plumlee, who the Spurs picked up after this season's trade deadline, has been playing high-level hoops for two decades and matches Barnes with 71 games played.

These graybeards obviously won't be the ones to carry the scoring load for the Spurs this postseason, but they have so much knowledge to share with the youngsters who will lead the way.

Speaking of guys with rings and wisdom, a bunch of them hang out at the Spurs' team facility. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are always around, and Gregg Popovich was spotted at practice on Friday. Players said that he addressed the team in recent days to congratulate them on the success of this regular season, to let them know what they can expect as the playoffs begin, and to remind them to keep being themselves.

Popovich's illustrious career as a coach includes five titles and more wins than anyone, but the circumstances of his last few years at the helm meant he spent less time competing for wins and more time developing young talent.

Two of his star pupils in that regard are former first-round picks Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell, who are both poised to make their playoff debuts after waiting and working for so long. Julian Champagnie, an undrafted developmental success story, is also raring to go for his first postseason. Carter Bryant is a rookie this year, and with a strong second half has earned a spot in Mitch Johnson's playoff rotation.

Speaking of Mitch Johnson, the first-year head coach is about to embark on his first postseason run. He won a G League title with the Austin Spurs, but didn't join Popovich's bench with the big team until the first time in 22 years that San Antonio missed the playoffs.

May 10, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks with assistant coaches Mitch Johnson, Becky Hammon, and Will Hardy in the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Johnson hasn't looked inexperienced this season. He's looked mature, driven, composed, and very sure of the type of basketball that he wants his young team to play. In fact, the relentless playstyle he favors might not be possible if he didn't have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA.

"He is sure of himself," Wembanyama said. "It feels like he's been coaching for longer than that, and that's all him. You can't buy that, you can't fake that."

Popovich remains a wonderful resource for Johnson, and the rookie head coach isn't alone on the staff. Associate Head Coach Sean Sweeney made a Finals run with the Mavericks in the last few years, and has helped build an exceptional defense around Wembanyama.

"One of the reasons that we identified him as someone to potentially add to the group early on was his experience," Johnson said of Sweeney. "I hope it helps. I think he's had a ton of experience and he's been in those moments with major respnsibility and role in terms of game plan, execution, in-the-moment adjustment and things of that nature, and that's what the playoffs are in spade, so looking forward to having someone like that on our side to assist."

Dec 2, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs assistant head coach Sean Sweeney signals to players during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Johnson also mentioned Corliss Williamson, who won an NBA title and an NCAA title as a player as part of a journeyman career.

"Corliss is someone who's experienced basically every rung of the ladder in this league as a player," Johnson said recently. "When you're able to have one of the biggest voices on the coaching staff in terms of game plan execution, schematic coverages, ideas of how we want to do things, but then again, you can put on your player hat and talk about winning an NBA Finals, winning Sixth Man of the Year, being one of the best players to come out of college or to be traded, to be a vet, to be, you know, moved to more of a role player or bench role, how valuable is that?"

Mar 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Sacramento Kings assistant coach Corliss Williamson against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Kings defeated the Suns 108-99. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Unprecedented, But Not Impossible

If the Spurs end a playoff drought this long clutching the Larry O'Brien trophy it would be almost entirely unprecedented in NBA history.

There is exactly one comparable example: The Portland Trail Blazers missed out in each of their first six seasons as a franchise before Bill Walton delivered them to glory in 1977. One of the greatest college players of all time, the legendary big man was in just his third year in the league.

Nov 1977; unknown location, USA; Portland Trailblazers center (32) Bill Walton in action during the 1977 season. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images Copyright (c) Malcolm Emmons | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

The similarities are striking, but the NBA and game of basketball have both changed a lot in the last 49 years to make winning it all much more difficult. Still, there's reason for optimism that Wembanyama and San Antonio can pull it off.

The league is showing more parity than ever, with no repeat champions in the last eight years and seven different teams in that stretch. Last season in particular showed that inexperience might not be as disqualifying in this landscape, as the extremely-young Thunder and Pacers faced off in the Finals.

The Spurs haven't taken their lumps together in a playoff series, but it might not matter. They took plenty of lumps before they got here, they have plenty of experience in high-stakes games, and they have plenty of togetherness.

They also have Victor Wembanyama, who is one of the most talented and accomplished young stars to ever pick up a basketball. The thing that makes Wembanyama so compelling is that none of what he does should be possible.

A 7-foot-5 guy shouldn't be able to move and shoot that well. A jock who speaks English as a second language shouldn't be so profound with it. A 20-year-old shouldn't be able to push the most talented basketball roster ever assembled to the limit, and a 22-year-old shouldn't have his team ready to make a real run at the NBA title.

But here he is, doing all that and more.

The laws of anatomy and physics and basketball as we know it clearly do not apply to him. Why should the so-called rule that a team has to lose in the playoffs before they win? It's long past time we could say with confidence that there's anything Victor Wembanyama can't do, outside of walking through doorways without ducking, or going to H-E-B without being recognized, or riding certain roller coasters and other things of that nature.

Maybe you still care about the Spurs' lack of experience, and that's fine. Wemby doesn't.

“We don’t have playoff experience, right? Screw it," he told ESPN. "I mean, that’s all we got. We’re not going to play any different because it is this way. I mean, we’re still gonna play 100% and try to win this championship. Screw it.”