The San Antonio Spurs witnessed Victor Wembanyama leading them to an NBA Finals appearance faster than anyone expected. However, Wembanyama’s leadership qualities are starting to show just as much as his all-time great talent on the court. San Antonio won a tough Game 7 on the road to dethrone the Oklahoma City Thunder and prevent them from repeating as NBA Champions.
Spurs beat writer Michael Wright revealed that Wemby treated the entire team to a private movie theater screening to decompress from such a mentally taxing series:
“Source confirms that Victor Wembanyama treated the team to a screening of the movie “Obsession” as the Spurs tried to wind down from the emotional toll of Game 7 heading into the Finals.”
Wembanyama treated everyone on the roster to see the popular horror film Obsession and to have a fun day out before preparing for the NBA Finals. The Spurs are the youngest team to ever make the NBA Finals, and things like this are needed to stay relaxed for the most important games of their careers. Most players don’t take the initiative to do this until later into their career, but Wemby is already looking like a great NBA leader at just 22 years old.
Why Victor Wembanyama Planned This Day
The shocking Western Conference Finals performances by the Spurs saw the young roster stepping up to the challenge. Any conference finals going seven full games becomes a strong part of NBA history since it creates higher stakes with a finals trip on the line.
Wembanyama both wanted to reward his teammates for rising to the occasion and to clear their minds ahead of the NBA Finals. The New York Knicks have had nearly a full extra week off to prepare themselves for playing games with the NBA Championship on the line.
This was a smart move by Wemby to give his teammates a fun day in between the two extremely stressful series. Once the NBA Finals starts on Wednesday, San Antonio players will have nothing on their minds but the games and adjustments to be made in between each game over the next two weeks.
Victor Wembanyama Changing Timeline For NBA Greatness
Most prospects expected to become NBA greats need more time to understand the tangible qualities for things like leadership or the mental element of basketball. Wembanyama wanted to become an all-time great from the day he entered the NBA Draft.
Few young players have studied the game and found unique ways to get ready for such a high-profile role. Wemby studied under monks during the offseason to improve his patience and be ready for the mental hurdles that come with having deep playoff runs against the best in the world.
San Antonio’s most experienced players are limiting with Harrison Barnes, De’Aaron Fox, and Luke Kornet serving as the longest tenured names. Wembanyama taking the step faster to lead his teammates on the court and have their backs off the court shows how ready he is for the moment. Even the most iconic players like Michael Jordan and LeBron James needed more time to figure this out.
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