Victor Wembanyama went into 2026 limping, but it may only be a brief blimp going into the new year.
The Spurs’ All-Star hobbled off the court after his left knee buckled when he attempted to grab a rebound early in the fourth quarter against the Knicks on Wednesday night.
After the Spurs’ 134-132 win, it was confirmed that Wembanyama hyperextended his knee.
He underwent tests that did not find any other concerns, and is set for further examination Thursday.
Despite the early exit, the third-year center set his intentions clear following the game.
“I expect to be back the next game,” he said.
After battling for a rebound against Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson under the rim, the 2023-24 Rookie of the Year went down and quickly grabbed his left knee before Spurs guard Stephon Castle pulled him back to his feet and he retreated to the locker room.
“I was confident. I was this close to coming back in the game,” he added.
“[They] had to hold me back. It was just a hyperextension, so it should be minimal. We’ve got to do everything tomorrow still to check that everything’s OK.”
Before leaving the game with 10:32 left to play and the Knicks leading, 106-92, Wembanyama tallied a double-double with 31 points and 13 rebounds.
He shot 10-for-12 from the field across 24 minutes.
A reassuring sign to the Spurs and the crowd of 18,062 fans was when Wembanyama returned to the bench sporting team warmups with less than two minutes remaining.
“Have not been able to talk to the medical staff yet, but I think I saw what everybody else saw,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “Obviously, he finished the game on the bench with his teammates. So, I think that made me feel good.”
The Spurs rallied without their star to hand the Knicks a tough loss on New Year’s Eve.
Wembanyama, who is shooting at a career-high clip from the field (52 percent) and beyond the arc (36 percent), previously sat out for 12 games this season with a left calf strain.
He returned for the semifinals of the NBA Cup on Dec. 13 and started off the bench for six games, easing his way back onto the court.
