OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — When the Western Conference finals started, Victor Wembanyama watched Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hoist a Most Valuable Player trophy that the San Antonio Spurs star desperately wanted.
Wembanyama left the series with an MVP trophy of his own — and a whole lot more.
The French standout — in just his third season — has led the Spurs to the NBA Finals. The newly crowned Western Conference finals MVP had 22 points in a Game 7 win at Oklahoma City, one that gave San Antonio a chance to play for the NBA title for the first time since 2014. It’ll be San Antonio vs. New York in the NBA Finals, starting Wednesday night.
“Winning the Larry O’Brien, it’s a childhood dream,” Wembanyama said, referring to the name of the trophy given to the NBA champions. “And having a real shot at it, having a chance, a tangible chance at winning it and realizing a dream … it’s a lifetime chance. You never know when it’s going to happen again.
“It’s hard to put into words. It’s almost like the meaning of my life now.”
He averaged 27.3 points and 10.9 rebounds in the series, scoring at least 20 points in every game. He set the tone with a 41-point effort in a Game 1 win, then did a little of everything — dunks, blocks, playing point guard even — to keep control on the way to the Game 7 win. He was the unanimous pick as series MVP, which should be no surprise. He carried that trophy into the locker room after the game, screaming in joy at supporters and teammates.
“You work all these hours, it’s for these type of emotions,” Wembanyama said. “I want to win so bad. It’s like my life depends on it.”
On the night he was drafted, Wembanyama talked about all the things he knew about San Antonio. Breakfast tacos, which he couldn’t wait to try. Spanish, which he said he wanted to learn. The culture, which he said he wanted to embrace.
And, of course, the winning.
“The ring,” Wembanyama said that night.
The ring. The championship ring. Not even three years since leaving France and coming to the U.S., Wembanyama is about to get his first chance to play for it.
“The best player in the world,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson yelled at no one in particular, but making clear everyone knew who he was talking about.
He didn’t get that NBA MVP trophy. But it wouldn’t be difficult to say Wembanyama indeed is the best player in the world. Or at the very least, will be soon. He might not even be near his prime yet. The Spurs are young and built for the long haul.
Translated: This may just be the start.
“When you step into a game in regular season, you don’t even look at the big picture of the season. You look at what you need to do tonight, what you have to do in the first half, on the first possession,” Wembanyama said. “And when you lay a brick like this every time you get a chance and you lay it perfectly fine, at the end of the day you get a big castle — a beautiful house and we just did. This, it’s just like the entry hall of our castle right here.”
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