Victor Vembanyama jokes about winning Sixth Man of the Year

Victor Vembanyama he returned to the floor with a minutes limit, a spot on the bench and a sense of humor to match the moment. After helping in San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-109 in the NBA Cup semi finals, Vembanjama was jokingly floating the idea of ​​winning Sixth Man of the Year, and possibly MVP, after coming off the bench for for the first time in his NBA career.

“Can you win MVP and Sixth Man in the same year?” Vembaniam he said with a smile. “Am I still eligible? We’ll think about it.”

Jokes aside, Vembanyama’s influence was unmistakable. Playing in his first game in nearly a month after spraining his left leg, the 7-foot-4 big man logged just over 20 minutes and delivered when it mattered most. He scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked two shots, and scored 15 points in the fourth quarter as San Antonio ended Oklahoma City’s 16-game winning streak.

The fans at T-Mobile Arena responded with “MVP” chants as Vembanyama closed out the game. He completed a comeback that erased a 16-point deficit and sent the Spurs to the NBA Cup championship game against the New York Knicks.

Victor Wembanyama could be on the bench for Spurs for a while

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson carefully managed Vembanyama’s return, keeping him in the first quarter before deploying him in short bursts the rest of the way. The plan paid off. Vembanjama caught a second wind late on, anchoring San Antonio at both ends in crunch time.

San Antonio outscored the Thunder by 21 points in the minutes of Wembanyama. At the time he sat, the Spurs were better than 19.

“He rose to the occasion,” guard De’Aaron Fox said. “From the moment he stepped on the floor, he impacted the game offensively and defensively.”

The victory brought significance beyond the table. The Spurs went 9-3 during Wembanyama’s absence, building confidence behind Fox and a young, improving rotation. Saturday was the first time this season that San Antonio had a fully healthy core, and the result seemed like a glimpse of what this group can become.

“This was not a typical regular season game,” Vembanyama said. “If you lose, you’re out. Some teams are built for these moments, some aren’t. We definitely are.”

Whether Vembanjama starts or comes off the bench again is secondary. The most important thing was clear. On the big stage, with everything on the line, the future of Spurs showed and looked ready.