Wembanyama’s defensive – Victor Wembanyama won Defensive Player of the Year, made first-team All-NBA, and finished third in MVP voting—but watched the New York Knicks celebrate their first NBA championship in 53 years after winning Game 5 in San Antonio.
SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama had to stand there and watch the visiting team become champions again.
This is the moment people have been waiting for in the NBA: the Wemby era. It is underway, and the numbers back it up. The 7-foot-4 French star was unanimously named Defensive Player of the Year this season. finished third in the Most Valuable Player balloting. and earned first-team All-NBA for the first of what could become a long run.
Still, the ultimate night slipped away.
For the second time in three years, Wembanyama was left reliving someone else’s celebration. In 2024, he tearfully watched the U.S. win Olympic gold at the Paris Olympics. On Saturday night. he watched the New York Knicks celebrate their first championship in 53 years by winning Game 5 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio.
Wembanyama’s finals stat line was strong but ultimately not enough: 26 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game. They were the kind of totals that usually change the tone of a series. In this one, they couldn’t close it out.
The series will also be remembered, fairly or not, for specific mistakes. There was the turnover that led to Jalen Brunson’s go-ahead free throw in New York’s Game 2 win—one of those painful swings that can be hard to erase. And in that same Game 2, Wembanyama missed a jump shot to win at the buzzer.
In Game 4, he missed a pair of crucial free throws with 1:47 left. That miss came during a night the Spurs were supposed to own. San Antonio wasted a 29-point lead and lost by one, in what became the biggest collapse in finals history.
It’s only Year 3 for Wemby. It doesn’t mean the plan is broken. It just means the trophy still isn’t his.
NBA fans have seen this kind of timeline before. Michael Jordan took seven seasons to win his first championship. LeBron James needed nine years. Jerry West needed 12 years for his one and only title. John Stockton and Karl Malone never got one. Charles Barkley, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony didn’t get one either.
Even during the series, some of the people closest to the league’s history couldn’t avoid talking about how far ahead Wembanyama feels from where he is now. Knicks legend Larry Johnson said, when asked about Wembanyama, “He’s definitely the future of this league, man. He’s a heck of a ballplayer.”
What Johnson was pointing to wasn’t just reputation. It was production. There have been four seasons in NBA history where someone had 150 blocks, 150 assists, and 100 3-pointers. Chet Holmgren did it for Oklahoma City in 2023-24. The other three instances are all from Wembanyama—and he has hit those totals in each of his first three seasons.
On Saturday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke to the same mix of present impact and future expectation. “I think for a lot of people, this team seems to be ahead of schedule,” Silver said on NBA TV. “I don’t think they feel that way. I’m amazed at Victor. Not just his play on the floor, but he’s such a curious young man. He’s a pleasure to talk to. He’s very worldly. I mean, he’s got amazing interests off the floor. He’s really dedicated to his craft and he’s got such a bright future ahead of him.”.
The Knicks now have the title they’d waited 53 years for. Wembanyama’s awards and influence are real, and they’re already rewriting what fans should expect from a modern center.
But on this night in San Antonio, the championship moment belonged to someone else—and Wembanyama, for the second time in three years, had to watch.
Victor Wembanyama Defensive Player of the Year NBA Finals Knicks championship Jalen Brunson Adam Silver Larry Johnson San Antonio
Defense player of the year but no title… classic.
So he got all the awards and still lost? Knicks been winning lately I guess, but 53 years?? feels like time travelers got involved. Also 3.6 blocks a game sounds insane.
Wait I thought Wemby was on the Knicks now? Like everyone keeps saying “Wemby era” and I’m confused. If he missed those free throws that’s on him though, no excuses. NBA finals are rigged half the time anyway.
It’s wild to me the Spurs end up losing after he’s unanimous DPOY and first-team All-NBA. Like how do you go 26/11/3.6 and still lose the whole thing? I feel bad for him standing there while the Knicks celebrate again, that’s gotta sting. But I also feel like turnovers in Game 2 and missing the buzzer shot… that’s just one of those seasons where the ball doesn’t bounce your way.