The San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the New York Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals has apparently kept star Victor Wembanyama up at night during the offseason.
During NBA Media Day on Monday, Wembanyama revealed it’s been “hard to fall asleep sometimes” after his team came up short in the Finals.
San Antonio took a big step forward in 2025-26, making a run through the Western Conference while taking down the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, Wembanyama and Co. could not finish the job when they went up against New York.
While the Spurs held double-digit leads in every game, they managed only one victory as the Knicks won the title in five games. Four of the five games were decided by four points or less.
Wembanyama had a strong statistical series, averaging 26 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.6 blocks per game. However, his efforts weren’t enough.
The 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game during the regular season while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from deep.
He is the centerpiece of nearly everything the team does on both sides of the floor with his ability to protect the rim and clean the glass on defense and work in pick-and-pops, hit from the outside and attack the basket on offense.
There is maybe no bigger matchup nightmare in the league than Wembanyama. With the star saying he now has a new form of motivation, he could become an even bigger issue for the rest of the league.
