TOUGH TIMES Victor Wembanyama injury latest as San Antonio Spurs star endures worst streak of basketball career in NBA rookie season
The 2023 No. 1 overall pick suffered an embarrassing moment earlier this week
VICTOR Wembanyama is set to miss his first NBA game of the 2023-24 season, sitting out Friday’s clash with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The San Antonio Spurs star, 19, is dealing with a hip injury while the team is enduring a horrific 13-game losing streak.
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has been ruled out of the Friday clash with the New Orleans Pelicans due to hip sorenessCredit: Getty
It will be the Spurs rookie’s first missed game of the 2023-24 NBA seasonCredit: Getty
San Antonio lost 13 straight games, the longest losing streak of Wembanyama’s basketball careerCredit: Getty
Wembanyma was already questionable for Thursday’s 137-135 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
After going through the warmup, the Frenchman eventually suited up for the Spurs.
He logged 21 points, 12 rebounds, and two assists in 29 minutes.
But the 7-foot-4 center will watch the Pelicans matchup from the bench due to right hip soreness, per NBA insider Marc Stein.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said Thursday that the 2023 No. 1 NBA pick could get the night off on the rear end of San Antonio’s back-to-back.
Wemby averaged 19.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and a league-leading 2.7 blocks in his first 18 games of the season.
He shot 43.7 % from the field and 27.1% for 3.
The Spurs have one of the worst records in the NBA despite the rookie’s strong efforts.
They are 3-15 which has them sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
After being asked what he makes of the team’s start to the season, Wembanyama told reporters ahead of the loss to the Hawks: “We’re in great hands.”
He then revealed that San Antonio’s current losing streak is the longest he’s suffered since playing goalie in soccer.
Earlier this week, Wemby also endured an embarrassing moment as he played against the Golden State Warriors with his name misspelled on the back of his jersey.
His name read “Wembanyana,” with the final M replaced by an N, and screenshots of the error immediately went viral on social media.
Spurs staff provided the rookie with a fresh top after being alerted to the blunder in the second quarter.
Commenting on the situation, Wembanyama said: “It’s a real shame. I don’t know if somebody got fired but the Spurs did their job by checking my name and noticing it.
“But, I don’t know, it’s a real shame.”
