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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - MARCH 19: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs is surrounded by teammates after he scored the game-winning basket against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center on March 19, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
For the first time in nine seasons, the San Antonio Spurs have qualified for the playoffs. After years of toiling away at the bottom of the draft lottery, they will finally get a chance to play for a championship. Victor Wembanyama was the player who sent them there.
Wembanyama hit a game-winning shot against the Phoenix Suns to send them to the playoffs. He hit a contested shot right as the buzzer went off to send the team into the postseason. To this point, it is the biggest shot that Wembanyama has hit in his career.
Teammate De’Aaron Fox broke down the game-winning shot and the play that they had called for that exact moment.
San Antonio Spurs Guard De’Aron Fox Breaks Down Final Play vs Suns
Fox explained to the media why Wembanyama made the right decision based on what was available to him.
“We had our play drawn up. We had a clear side, and I asked him if he wanted someone in the corner. When you have a clear side, teams tend to tilt. It brings more help. He said he wanted someone there. So I said, we’re going to put a shooter right there. So we put Devin (Vassell) in the corner just to make sure that they don’t help off of him. He took his time, got to his spot, and hit the game-winner.”
Instead of dishing the ball to one of his teammates, Wembanyama did the right thing by taking that final shot. His shot is almost impossible to block because of his incredible length, so he can get almost any shot off he wants at any time. That length helped him nail that shot.
Wembanyama has helped the Spurs win 20 of their last 22 games. He has allowed the team to have a bigger ceiling than they have had since the end of the Tim Duncan era. Now, the Spurs have a real shot to win a championship this season.
Victor Wembanyama is a Future MVP in the NBA
The Spurs have the fifth-best offense in the league. The leap that Wembanyama has made with his game has allowed San Antonio to be one of the best offenses in the NBA. His sheer length has kept the Spurs as one of the top defensive teams in the league.
San Antonio is still just a few games behind the Thunder for the top spot in the Western Conference. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility for the Spurs to overtake them for the number-one seed in the West. They are at least locked in to the second spot.
As long as Wembanyama stays healthy for the playoffs, they will be a tough out for any team they face. Wembanyama has had some health problems over the first few years of his career, so it is no guarantee that the Spurs have him for the entirety of the playoffs.
Wembanyama still wants the Spurs to win more games in the regular-season. San Antonio is more focused on long-term goals, though.