San Antonio Spurs

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson may never receive the ball he dropped a career-high 61 points with in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs last week.

After Victor Wembanyama tossed Brunson's 61-point ball into the stands following San Antonio's 130-126 overtime victory over New York, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that a ball boy working the Knicks bench went to retrieve the ball from the fan who caught it.

However, Windhorst followed up that report on his Hoop Collective podcast saying that he spoke with the Spurs and no one went to retrieve the ball, which presumably went home with the fan who caught it.

Windhorst said (23:20 mark):

I have been informed by the Spurs that no ball boy fetched the ball on Friday night. ... However, the Knicks said to me that they did retrieve the ball. I have a direct Spurs' ball boy source who surveyed all of the Spurs ball boys to verify the information and I stand corrected, nobody retrieved the ball. The ball, I assume, left the arena with that fan and the ball that the Knicks got is maybe the backup ball. I don't know.

The NBA fined Wembanyama $25,000 for throwing the ball into the stands.

While speaking with reporters after the win about tossing the ball into the stands, Wembanyama said he was just celebrating San Antonio's victory and meant no ill will toward Brunson.

"I know players have gotten fined for throwing the ball in the stands before, but they did it with bad intent. I was just doing it to make someone's day," Wembanyama said.

And while Brunson scored 61 points in that game, Wembanyama also put together his best performance of the season, notching 40 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block.

That said, he was understandably hyped up after the game.

Whether Brunson gets the ball back remains to be seen. Perhaps, the Knicks will try to find that fan and cut a deal for the ball.

Victor Wembanyama's "Alien" shoes are set to hit the shelves.

The Spurs rookie's Nike Zoom GT Hustle 2 "Alien" will be hitting retail stores, though a specific date for the drop is unknown, according to Sneaker News.

Wembanyama's "Alien" shoes debuted as a player exclusive at the NBA All-Star Weekend in February. They feature a black/green pattern to look like deep space and have glow-in-the-dark outsoles.

Wembanyama has been referred to as an "alien" since Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James gave him the label ahead of the 2023 NBA draft.

"We're labeling like this unicorn thing—everybody's been a unicorn over the last few years," James said at the time. "But he's more like an alien—no one has seen anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor."

Wembanyama said in a Sports Illustrated profile in February that he prefers the "alien" nickname over nicknames like "unicorn."

The 20-year-old has certainly lived up to the "alien" nickname during his rookie season. Through 66 games, he has averaged 21.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.4 blocks and 1.3 steals while shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and 32.3 percent from deep.

Wembanyama's season will soon come to an end with the Spurs having been eliminated from playoff contention, but he's the top contender for the Rookie of the Year award despite his team missing out on extra basketball.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama pleaded his innocence after the NBA fined him $25,000 for throwing the ball into the stands after last Friday's 130-126 overtime victory over the New York Knicks.

Wembanyama told reporters he knew there was past precedent when it came to a fine but said there was nothing malicious in his actions. He was simply celebrating a hard-fought win.

The 2023 No. 1 overall pick had his best performance of the season against New York, finishing with 40 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block. After the final buzzer sounded, he cradled the ball and tossed it into the crowd with his left hand.

Beyond the fact he was leaving himself open to a fine, some fans wondered whether Wembanyama indirectly slighted Knicks star Jalen Brunson.

The veteran guard dropped in a personal-high 61 points and may have wanted the game ball to keep as a memento. Instead, it wound up in the arms of an unsuspecting Spurs fan.

The Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo would not have taken that lightly.

The NBA announced Sunday it fined San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama $25,000 for throwing the ball into the stands after his team's 130-126 overtime victory over the New York Knicks.

Wembanyama logged his best performance of the season, finishing with 40 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists. He celebrated after the final buzzer by briefly cradling the ball and then tossing it toward the home crowd.

Some were upset with how cavalier Wembanyama was with the game ball after Knicks star Jalen Brunson dropped a career-high 61 points. A memento the veteran point guard might have wanted to keep instead wound up in the hands of one fan.

It called to mind Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetkounmpo running down the tunnel when he believed the Indiana Pacers were taking the game ball from his 64-point performance.

While there was nothing malicious in Wembanyama's actions, the rulebook is pretty clear. Deliberately throwing or kicking the ball into the stands is grounds for an ejection if it happens in the middle of a game, and past precedent pointed to a minor fine.

The 7-footer was asked after the game if he would make up for the cost of the lost basketball and quipped "somebody else is going to."

The 20-year-old will have a much harder time shifting his $25,000 fine to another party. Writing the check to the league office is a drop in the bucket when he's making $12.1 million this year.

Wembanyama will be advised, though, to keep his celebrations fully confined to the court moving forward.

For the second time this season, there's another controversy involving a game ball after a historic scoring performance from one of the participants.

After the San Antonio Spurs held on for a 130-126 overtime win over the New York Knicks on Friday night, Victor Wembanyama threw the ball into the stands. The problem is Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 61 points in the loss.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Wembanyama joked "somebody else" can pay to get the ball back if they want it.

There didn't seem to be as much drama over the ball this time as their previously was when a situation like this occurred.

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo had a verbal exchange with some of the coaches for the Indiana Pacers and went storming toward their locker room in an attempt to retrieve the game ball after he scored a franchise-record 64 points on Dec. 13.

In addition to Brunson's scoring output, there was also a reason for Wembanyama to keep the ball for his own personal collection. The rookie sensation had arguably the best game of his young career with 40 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists in 38 minutes.

Wembanyama set a career-high in points and tied his career-high in rebounds. The seven assists were tied for his third-most in a game, and he made four three-pointers for the third time.

Friday night was Wembanyama's 39th double-double of the season. He will become the 13th rookie in NBA history with at least 40 double-doubles if he gets one more in the Spurs' final eight games.

The last player to have that many double-doubles in his rookie season was Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015-16 (52).

Brunson's 61-point outburst was one shy of tying Carmelo Anthony's franchise record for the Knicks. He scored 40 points in the second half and overtime.

The loss snapped New York's three-game winning streak. It also dropped the club into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, 0.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.

San Antonio Spurs star rookie Victor Wembanyama will miss Monday's game against the Phoenix Suns due to a sprained left ankle, per the Associated Press.

There is reportedly no timetable for Wembanyama's return. He suffered the injury in Saturday's 131-106 loss to the Suns and was limited to 21 minutes while sitting out the fourth quarter.

Wembanyama also suffered a sprained right ankle that forced him to miss San Antonio's game against the Sacramento Kings on March 7. The Spurs are 1-7 when the rookie sensation is out of the lineup.

After being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, Wembanyama didn't take long to adjust to the NBA.

The 20-year-old is averaging 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and a league-leading 3.4 blocks per game, establishing himself as the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. The last player to average 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a full season was Shaquille O'Neal in 1999-00, and no rookie has ever finished a year with such numbers.

Despite Wembanyama's impressive first year, the Spurs have still struggled to find success and rank last in the Western Conference with a 15-56 record. San Antonio is on its way to another spot in the NBA draft lottery, so the team should be able to add more talent around Wembanyama in the future.

Until Wembanyama is able to return, the Spurs will likely rely on veteran center Zach Collins to take his place in the starting lineup.

Victor Wembanyama makes it all seem so simple.

In an era of constant social-media chatter and criticism from sports fans and commentators alike, the San Antonio Spurs big man knows just how to tune everything out when needed.

"I turn my phone off," he said, per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

"Most of the time those apps aren't even on my phone," he said of social media. "I delete them for days, weeks, or months sometimes. And whenever I want to look something up, I download them again."

Wembanyama also said social media is "not something I ever had to worry about" and instead something he uses only to stay in touch with friends and family.

Even if he did pay attention to social media more, there's not much to criticize about his individual game.

The 20-year-old started his much-hyped NBA career with the weight of a franchise on his shoulders as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft and has delivered a Rookie of the Year-caliber season while averaging 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.

San Antonio has struggled as a whole with a 15-56 record, but it isn't difficult to envision a future where Wembanyama is one of the best players in the league and carries the franchise to plenty of success much like David Robinson and Tim Duncan before him.

That would bring plenty of social-media praise, even if he didn't pay attention to it.

The Phoenix Suns blew out the San Antonio Spurs 131-106 on Saturday night, but Suns star Devin Booker came away with high praise for Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama.

While speaking to reporters after the game, Booker called Wembanyama "just a force" and commended him for his competitiveness:

Wembanyama played just 21 minutes in the blowout loss and finished with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. However, he has established himself as the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year with averages of 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, a league-high 3.4 blocks and 1.3 steals.

The 20-year-old was viewed as a generational prospect entering the 2023 draft, and he's shown flashes of dominance despite his youth.

It's clear that Wembanyama has a bright future in the NBA, and Booker is among the many who recognize his vast potential.

Victor Wembanyama had a forgetful night against his idol Kevin Durant as the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Phoenix Suns in blowout fashion Saturday, 131-106.

Wembanyama, who has had a tremendous rookie season, couldn't get much done against the Suns on Saturday with just 13 points, five rebounds and a block.

Durant shined against the rookie phenom, putting up 25 points in the win. Devin Booker led the way for Phoenix with 32 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Wembanyama still has plenty of time to put together a big performance against Durant, but for now, the veteran has the edge on him.

After Wembanyama's forgetful night, fans were disappointed with his performance against his idol.

With the loss, the Spurs dropped to 15-55 on the year and are far from being in playoff contention. For the Suns, their battle to climb in the Western Conference standings continued as they improved to 41-29 on the year, and they currently sit in seventh place in the West.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victory Wembanyama is fine with Rudy Gobert beating him out for the Defense Player of the Year Award, but only for now.

"I know that Rudy (Gobert) has a very good chance of winning it this year, and it would be deserved. Let him win it now, because after that it's no longer his turn," Wembanyama said Thursday, per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

Gobert won three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Utah Jazz in 2019, 2019 and 2022 and could be on track for a fourth with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves have the top-ranked defense in the league in large part thanks to Gobert, who has an NBA-high defensive rating of 104.2.

Gobert may be one of eight players averaging two blocks per game, but Wembanyama is making a case for himself by outreaching Gobert and leading the NBA with 3.4 blocks per game.

Wembanyama's case is hurt, however, by the Spurs' 14-52 record and bottom-six defensive rating.

The Spurs rookie may need to wait for his team's overall record to improve before he can campaign for DPOY, but there's little doubt Wembanyama will be a contender in the near future.

For now, Gobert heads into the final stretch of the regular season as the DraftKings favorite to win the award.