San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama exited Monday’s meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers early after suffering what the team termed a left rib contusion in the first half.

Wembanyama left the floor to go back to the Spurs’ locker room early into the second quarter, after an open-court collision with 76ers forward Paul George just over a minute into the frame left him slow to get up and appearing to favor his left shoulder:

He’d return to the bench shortly thereafter, though, and check back into the game with 5:33 to go in the opening half, dueling with star Philadelphia center Joel Embiid over the next few minutes.

Even as he continued to make an impact on both ends of the floor, though, Wembanyama continued to grimace, looking somewhat uncomfortable and not quite like himself.

He checked out of the game with his left arm hanging down at his side, and went back to the locker room with 44 seconds remaining in the first half.

When the Spurs returned after intermission, Wembanyama was not with them; reserve center Luke Kornet took his spot in the lineup to open the third quarter. Wembanyama finished with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, five rebounds, three blocks and an assist in just under 16 minutes of work.

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Without its leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker, San Antonio didn’t miss a beat. Thanks to a triple-double from guard Stephon Castle (19 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists), who led six Spurs in double figures, the Spurs were able to withstand a 34-point performance from Embiid and finish off a 115-102 victory to improve to 60-19 on the season. It’s the eighth 60-win campaign in Spurs franchise history, and their first since 2016-17 — the last season that San Antonio won a playoff series. With the win, the Spurs stay 2.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The 22-year-old Wembanyama has been one of the literal and figurative biggest stories of the 2025-26 NBA season, establishing himself as one of the game’s most overwhelming and irrepressible forces and catapulting the Spurs back into the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The third-year big man entered Monday’s action averaging 24.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-leading 3.1 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game, shooting 50.9% from the field, 35% from 3-point range and 82.8% from the free-throw line.

Wembanyama’s combination of offensive output, defensive dominance and clear impact on team success for the Spurs have vaulted him into the thick of the year-end awards races, as one of the top candidates for Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA and All-Defensive Team honors. In order to be eligible for those awards, though, he’ll have to meet the 65-game threshold under the player participation guidelines the NBA instituted before the 2023-24 season.

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Monday’s game marked Wembanyama’s 63rd regular-season contest of the season. Technically, though, it was his 64th qualifying contest, since the NBA Cup Final — in which Wembanyama played 25 minutes as the Spurs lost to the Knicks in Las Vegas — counts toward the 65-game total. Monday was also the second time this season that Wembanyama has played fewer than 20 minutes, but more than 15; each player is allowed to count two such “near-miss” games toward the 65-game total.

What that means: Despite leaving early Monday, Wembanyama needs to play 20 or more minutes one more time over the Spurs’ final three games to qualify for year-end awards. San Antonio finishes out the regular season at home, with games against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, Dallas Mavericks on Friday, and Denver Nuggets on Sunday.