Victor Wembanyama Broke Down in Tears for Heartbreaking Reason After NBA Cup

The Spurs lost the NBA Cup, but Wembanyama was emotional while mourning the loss of his beloved grandmother.

Victor Wembanyama teared up during his post-game press conference after losing his grandmother earlier that day. / Oh No He Didn’t/Screengrab

Hours before the Spurs tipped off to face the Knicks in the NBA Cup final on Tuesday night, Victor Wembanyama learned his grandmother died in France that morning, The Athletic’s Jared Weiss confirmed.

Despite the heartbreak the young player was dealing with, he still went out and competed for the Spurs. Coming off the bench for the second game in a row, Wembanyama put up 18 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes in the Spurs’ 124–113 loss to the Knicks.

After the game, Wembanyama got emotional in his postgame press conference as he mourned the loss of his grandmother.

“Sorry, I just lost somebody today,” Wembanyama said while fighting back tears.

Wemby says he lost someone close to him in his presser

Condolences to him 🙏 pic.twitter.com/oq5ZqpT49H

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 17, 2025

The 21-year-old took one more question from reporters before stepping off the podium. Even when going through immense grief, Wembanyama chose to remain professional. What a special player.

The Spurs play the Magic on Thursday. It’s unclear if San Antonio plans to have Wembanyama come off the bench again as he recovers from a calf strain he suffered last month.

---

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

FREE NEWSLETTER. SI BTN Newsletter. Start off your day with SI:CYMI. dark

feed