The closing seconds of the NBA Western Conference Finals on Saturday were a beautiful exercise in sports exultation for the San Antonio Spurs. One camera was on a rim-rattling, game-clinching dunk that echoed off the walls of a silent Oklahoma City arena.
The other was on the larger-than-life superstar who made the moment possible. Victor Wembanyama gripped the inside of his black and silver jersey to the point of tearing it. As the buzzer sounded, he teared up and pumped his fist wildly in celebration before he opened his eight-foot wingspan to wrap his teammates in an emotional embrace.
For basketball purists, it might have been too much of a celebration considering that the Spurs were slated to face the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in less than four days.
Why We Wrote This
San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama is shaking off conventional stoicism as he seeks his first NBA title against the postseason’s surprise – the New York Knicks.
But it has been refreshing to see teammates and fans embrace the superstar’s approach, even if it flies in the face of convention. Kobe Bryant’s response to a reporter who asked why he wasn’t smiling during the 2009 NBA Finals was a memorable retort: “Job’s not finished.”
Mr. Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020, took pride in his reputation as the ultimate competitor, and was also a thoughtful ambassador after his basketball career. Mr. Wembanyama’s approach demands a balance between the rigidness of sport’s unspoken rules and the realities of humanness.
Mr. Wembanyama had already risen above such temperance after the Spurs’ first-round playoff victory.
“Personally, I refuse to carry the burden of having to hide my emotions,” he said then.
How often do we forsake the journey for our tireless pursuit of a destination? I think of how often I aggravated my father during long road trips – and how my kids do the same to me – with a familiar incessant question: “Are we there yet?”
Mr. Wembanyama has a sense of incrementalism that is otherworldly. He celebrates his wins, all of them, with fervor and joy. For a nearly 8-foot man affectionately known as “The Alien,” because his size combines with the shooting and dribbling skills of a guard like Stephen Curry, his will and sense of being might be more impressive than his physical abilities, wingspan or height.
When it was reported in May that Mr. Wembanyama had trained with Shaolin monks during the offseason, it reminded me of another iconic and thoughtful basketball luminary: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Mr. Abdul-Jabbar, who won championships with both the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, famously converted to Islam in the 1970s, citing the social upheaval of the time and the influence of the Civil Rights Movement. Further, the young superstar Wembanyama’s training with monks was comparable to the elder Abdul-Jabbar’s mentorship and friendship with martial artist and actor Bruce Lee.
And yet, we don’t have to look far for thoughtful leaders affiliated with the Spurs brand. Team president of basketball operations and former head coach Gregg Popovich has been outspoken regarding human rights and social justice, and has been critical of President Donald Trump.
The bond between the former coach and current superstar has been described as “special,” and Mr. Wembanyama admitted that he couldn’t wait to speak with Mr. Popovich after the team returned from Oklahoma City.
“I saw Pop right away when we landed, and the emotion was really something that I haven’t felt in a while,” he said.
David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Reuters
Mr. Wembanyama’s commitment extends beyond what he does for the Spurs to the NBA itself. The league has been criticized for its approach to exhibitions, including the All-Star Game, because players don’t want to get injured.
Fittingly, it was Mr. Wembanyama who lit a fire under his NBA compatriots at the most recent midseason All-Star event and a good, old-fashioned basketball game broke out. That exemplary mix of caring and competitiveness is a bright light that truly seems like it’s out of this world.
Brad Penner/Imagn Images NPSTrans toppic
The NBA Finals, which begin Wednesday, promise to be an emotional showcase. New York basketball fans are looking for their first championship in more than half a century. The raucous and spirited displays from fans outside Madison Square Garden during games have become iconic, and the Knicks are four wins away from diving off the precipice and into full-blown delirium.
Winners of 11 straight playoff games, the Knicks are also a tight-knit organization. Star guard Jalen Brunson, the face of the current group, is the son of Rick Brunson, a reserve on the Knicks’ 1999 Eastern Conference Championship team and a current assistant coach. Franchise legends Patrick Ewing and John Starks, members of the last New York team to make it to the Finals, have been courtside fixtures during this year’s run.
It’s a matchup that proves it’s still cool to care.