The San Antonio Spurs notched their 60th win of the season, but lost Victor Wembanyama in the process. The injury hit was early in the first half as the French phenom even tried coming back, but that wasn’t successful. After the game, head coach Mitch Johnson hoped for positive results, but his answers were cryptic.
In the second quarter, with 10:36 remaining, he collided with the Sixers’ Paul George. Wemby was looking to launch a fast break counter, while PG attempted a steal. Because of that incident, the Spurs center was on the floor for some time, holding his left rib. He soon hit the locker room and was replaced by Luke Kornet. Fortunately, Wembanyama returned after five minutes and even scored 8 points and secured two boards.
But that return was cut short as he subbed out again with 44.3 seconds left before returning to the locker room. Later, the 22-year-old did not feature in the second half as the team announced a left rib contusion injury. Before exiting the game against the 76ers, Wemby compiled 17 points on 7-11 shooting with three blocks. Exciting twice in the same game would have any coach worried, but the Spurs’ head coach is not worried.
The media asked about an injury update for Victor Wembanyama, but Mitch Johnson wasn’t sure about the diagnosis yet. “I’m not sure.” The head coach continued, “I know he came back, and he just didn’t finish at halftime. I was told he wasn’t coming back. And honest to God, I haven’t heard anything else up to this point. I think it would be a positive that he felt like he could come back, and he played the last four or five minutes of the half.”
The fact that the 22-year-old came back hooped again eases Johnson’s worries. But he was still unsure about the injury. Then there was a follow-up question about when Wemby will go for testing. It seemed that the head coach was annoyed by the question, and while answering, had a sarcastic smile. “I have no other answer to what I haven’t even talked to anybody. So I’m sure we will do our due diligence to make sure he’s okay, but I have no idea.”
They have won nine out of their last ten games (and are 30-7 at home). Following the 76ers, the Spurs will play their next game on Wednesday night when they remain in San Antonio to host the Portland Trail Blazers. But they could be without Wemby, as there is a possibility of him missing out on personal accolades.
The NBA is in a conundrum after Victor Wembanyama’s injury
Last year, the Spurs shut down the French center in February 2025 due to a “deep vein thrombosis” (blood clot) issue in his right shoulder. This prevented him from meeting the 65-game minimum for DPOY. Even this year, Wemby has battled different injury issues, starting from a left calf strain that sidelined him for four weeks from mid-November to mid-December. Then he suffered a left knee hyperextension against the Knicks on 31 December, but it was a less worrisome injury because an MRI showed no ligament damage.
Victor Wembanyama was back after missing just two games, and apart from this he hasn’t missed a major chunk due to an injury. He’s averaging 24.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks, firmly putting him in MVP and DPOY conversations. But the awards may not be locked as the rib injury, if serious, could hamper his participation. The two-time All-Star can only miss one of the remaining three games in the regular season to meet the 65-game threshold.
Luckily, despite playing just 17 minutes tonight, the game counted towards Wembanyama’s tally. But he must suit up in two of the Spurs’ three games to reach the exact mark of 65 games. Now, it will be brutal for him to miss out on awards for a second season in a row because of injuries.
