Victor Wembanyama believes the San Antonio Spurs’ NBA Finals loss to the New York Knicks provides all the motivation he needs heading into the 2026-27 season.
Speaking during Spurs media day on Monday, Wembanyama was asked whether falling short in the Finals would serve as his ultimate motivation after San Antonio reached the championship series last season.
“I couldn’t imagine a better motivation,” Wembanyama said.
The Spurs went 62-20 during the 2025-26 regular season before advancing to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Knicks 4-1. Wembanyama said he has spent time processing the disappointment but has not tried to avoid the difficult emotions that followed the defeat.
“I’ve had a few sleepless nights of—maybe not sleepless nights, but hard to find sleep sometimes or hard emotions, you know, hitting sometimes,” Wembanyama said. “But there is just a point where you accept that you have to go through it and you have to feel all of it.”
The 22-year-old added that San Antonio understands the challenge ahead, with the team facing more than 100 games if it reaches the end of another deep postseason run.
“We’re in a great spot. We’re very hopeful, very ambitious, and we’re ready,” Wembanyama said.
The Spurs are entering the season with higher expectations after exceeding their preseason goals last year. Wembanyama said the team has internal objectives it will keep private, while making clear that repeating its Western Conference success is among the public goals.
“We won the West last year. We don’t want to do anything less this year,” Wembanyama said. “And we want to be the first seed and we want to keep, you know, keep fighting for this top spot.”
Wembanyama also reflected on the physical demands of San Antonio’s postseason run and how they affected his offseason preparation. He said he was surprised by how quickly players can adapt during a season rather than waiting until the offseason.
“I never played so many games. Lots of my teammates never played so many games or so many minutes and we still adapted,” Wembanyama said. “We pushed through it.”
He believes that experience has already raised his physical baseline.
“What I’ve noticed this summer is that my baseline has increased,” Wembanyama said. “I’m in better shape than I could have expected right now, even though the summer was short just off of experience and growing.”
Wembanyama also discussed the attention that comes with playing at the highest level. He admitted that the spotlight can sometimes become overwhelming, but said it remains part of the success that comes with reaching the NBA’s biggest stage.
“It is too much often. But it’s fine,” Wembanyama said. “This is not what I work for, but this is a symbol of success to some extent.”
The Spurs star also embraced the competitive reaction from opposing fan bases after San Antonio emerged as a championship contender.
“We’re fighting for the top spot of the mountain and we’re going to have to move people in our way,” Wembanyama said. “I take it as a great sign of respect as well.”
With Tobias Harris joining the Spurs as the major veteran addition, Wembanyama expects the former All-Star to make an immediate impact through his experience, versatility and willingness to embrace his role.
“He’s a guy that knows how to do the hard things, knows how to take on a role and do it very well,” Wembanyama said. “I have no doubt he’ll fit in just like he’s been here for years.”
