Nike warns NBA fans about Victor Vembanyama after win over Thunder

Victor VembanyamaHis return could not have come at a more important time for San Antonio Spurs. After missing 12 games with a strained left calf, San Antonio’s franchise superstar is back at the Emirates NBA Cup semi-finals and helped his team defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-109 in Las Vegas. The win snapped Oklahoma City’s 16-game winning streak and handed the defending NBA champions just their second loss in 26 games this season.

Vembanjama came off the bench for the first time in his NBA career, coming on at the start of the second quarter and playing on a strict minutes limit. The 21-year-old finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks while shooting 6-of-11 from the field, 1-of-1 from three-point range and 9-of-12 from the free throw line in 21 minutes. San Antonio outscored Oklahoma City by 21 points with Vembanjama on the floor, the best plus-minus of any player in the game.

Nike wasted no time in boosting the return of Wembanyama, the young phenom who signed a lucrative multi-year deal with the brand while playing professionally for France. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) after the win, Nike issued a warning for NBA fans:

“Wembie or not, here he comes.”

The Spurs trailed by as many as 16 points earlier and trailed 31-20 after the first quarter. As soon as Vembanyama checked in, San Antonio went on a 9-2 run to start the second quarter. After trailing 47-31 late in the half, the Spurs finished with 11 straight points to trail just 49-46 at halftime. They took their first lead at 57-56 midway through the third quarter during a 10-0 run.

Vembanjama scored most of his points and sank a key free throw with 6.1 seconds left to give San Antonio a three-point lead. The Thunder closed within one twice in the closing seconds, but missed opportunities at the line cost them the game.

Spurs scored a well-rounded goal off Vembanjama’s return. Devin Vassell scored 23 points, and De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle were not far behind with 22 each. It was the first game this season in which Vembanyama shared the floor with Fox, Castle and second pick Dylan Harper. Furthermore, it was the first time since March of last season that San Antonio had four players score at least 20 points in a game. Overall, the Spurs shot 41.1 percent from the field and went 13 of 42 from three-point range.

For Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 29 points, but the Thunder shot just 41.3 percent overall and 9 of 37 from beyond the arc. The loss dropped them from 24-1 to 24-2 and eliminated them from the NBA Cup.

San Antonio will now play the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup Finals on Tuesday at 8:30 PM ET.