Last Tuesday, when the Spurs won their home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Victor Wembanyama took to center court to engage the fans in a little jubilation.

Wemby led the arena in a routine he and the Jackals have been working on. The Jackals, a rowdy bunch formed by the Spurs big man, was the culmination of his goal to make the Frost Bank Center as festive as a European football (soccer) stadium.

At this moment, Victor Wembanyama is feeling himself. And he’s not afraid to let it show.

Not Your Typical Spurs Superstar

Over the years, many great players have been the face of the San Antonio Spurs. Starting with George Gervin, a stupefying showman, four-time scoring champion, and nine-time All-Star became the face of the franchise from 1973 until his departure in 1985. Gervin had panache and style, a true ambassador ushering the Spurs into the NBA.

David Robinson, one of the most decorated big men to play the game, took the role of leader beyond the court. Robinson, a member of the United States Navy, carried himself with a dignity that distanced him from the bevy of showy players populating the league throughout the 90s. Robinson displayed the ultimate dedication to the Spurs, selflessly handing the baton of leadership for the betterment of the team.

Tim Duncan, the heir apparent to Robinson, is the greatest power forward to ever play the game. But the Spurs landed a quiet superstar. Not known for emoting or losing his cool, Duncan left it out all on the court and led with a serenity unlike any player before or since. An unparalleled talent with a penchant for reticence in a league full of chest-thumping stars.

Now Victor Wembanyama serves as the leader of the Silver & Black. At first glance, he looked to be an extension of the tranquility recognizable in both Robinson and Duncan. But Victor has a unique spirit that radiates at a frequency new to the Spurs faithful.

Wemby is more emotional, but not in a typical NBA way. The young phenom is well read, well-spoken, and carries himself with the elegance of a much more seasoned athlete. The addition of this newly visible “playful” side is a direct reflection of his growth, the team’s evolution, and his recognition of his place in the grand scheme of a team, a city, and the league that is plying him with attention and respect.

Making San Antonio his own

Ever before his name was called by the San Antonio Spurs on June 22, 2023, it was believed that Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs were going to be a great fit for one another.

Wembanyama, the most anticipated basketball player since LeBron James, was coming to San Antonio to play with a dynasty franchise headed the winningest coach in all of basketball.

So many aspects of what was originally planned has altered.

For one, Wemby missed most of his sophomore season out with deep vein thrombosis. After his electric rookie season in which he garnered the Rookie of the Year honors, it was believed he was a shoo-in to take Defensive Player of the Year in his second season.

And then of course, head coach Gregg Popovich had to take a large portion of the season off after his stroke.

Now in his third season, Wemby has again faced changes.

The Spurs have their first new head coach in twenty-nine years. Although Mitch Johnson steered the ship for most of last season, he was filling in for Pop. This year, Johnson’s true personality is shining through. It’s apparent from his press conferences he has his own flair now. His responses are thoughtful, respectful, and give media and fans a depth and insight that have not been on the table for nearly three decades.

Johnson and Wembanayama are the logical result to a dynasty designed and executed by Popovich sand Duncan. The amount of pieces that had to fall into place exactly as they did for the chain of events for this germination liken a mathematical conundrum.

Beyond hype, beyond stats, beyond the court

Admittedly, Wembanyama was groomed for the game. Most facets of his life have been intentional. There was discussion of how his diet was designed to foster the healthiest growth for his height, weight, and athleticism.

Wemby is an avid reader, heavily into fantasy and science fiction, often seen carrying a book into the arena with him.

In his short time in the international spotlight, Wemby has shown to take a road less traveled. Last winter in New York, 7’4” center went out into the public (and announced it on social media) inviting people to come play chess.

He’s advocated merging chess with the NBA and even hosted his own Hoop Gambit.

And recently, a piece in The Athletic, Victor Wembanyama advocated for “ethical basketball.”

Marcus Thompson II writes,

“What was once niche — Reggie Miller extending his leg on 3-pointers, and Michael Jordan getting phantom whistles — seemed to grow into an epidemic of players falling like touch fouls were sniper fire. So the concept of ethical basketball praised players such as Steph Curry and Kevin Durant for not intentionally feasting at the free-throw line. And, simultaneously, it chided players such as James Harden and Joel Embiid for unabashedly manipulating the rules as a steady diet.”

“Ethical basketball is an ode to a straight-up version of the game most people grew up playing. When it wasn’t about milking loopholes. Or banking on coercion. Or hoping for help from ambiguous rules. It’s shooting to make instead of aiming to draw a foul. It’s playing defense instead of hoping for a pass-and-crash charge. It’s finding honor in not needing any of that.“

Wembanyama is at the forefront, voicing the need for ethical basketball.

“In modern basketball, we see a lot of brands of basketball that don’t offer much variety in the dangers they pose to the opponents. Lots of isolation ball and, sometimes, kind of forced basketball. And we try to propose a brand of basketball that can be described as more old-school sometimes — the Spurs way as well. So it’s tactically more correct basketball, in my opinion.”

Ethical basketball years for the game to be played, not manipulated. Marcus Thompson II continues,

“The issue is bigger than drawing fouls. It’s the aesthetic. It’s the popularization of the underhandedness. Some of the largest men in the world, and some of the best athletes, snapping their heads back after the slightest graze to the chin, as if they routinely skip neck day. It’s the same player being allowed to push off but getting the whistle when he’s pushed. It’s the flailing and flopping — and the constant complaining when neither yields returns — while some real contact gets deemed as marginal. It’s this great league having games morph into legal proceedings, with officials approaching the scorer’s table like a lawyer approaches the bench.”

Read that third sentence again – the popularization of the underhandedness. How many times are games plagued by players who draw fouls rather than utilize their immense talent to play the game? It’s not an illegitimate technique. It’s just not worthy of great basketball. But rules are rules, and as long as those are the rules, there will be those who use them.

He’s not your typical superstar, especially for a world-renowned player who has transtioning from a boy to a man in front of our eyes.

And now this not-so-typical superstar is discovering his comfort zone in a once “boring,” small-market franchise.

Sounds like the superstar the San Antonio Spurs need to elevate into the next phase of The Beautiful Game.

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