Overview
- Back from a deep vein thrombosis that ended his 2024–25 season, the 21-year-old opens Wednesday at Dallas in a matchup of recent No. 1 picks with Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg.
- Wembanyama downplayed the renewed fixation on his height, saying it “doesn’t really make a difference,” as official listings have climbed to as high as 7-foot-5.
- He set the bar for success as a guaranteed playoff berth by finishing at least sixth in the Western Conference to avoid the play-in.
- San Antonio rode an undefeated 5-0 preseason into opening night, including his 17-point, 12-rebound, 4-block performance against the Pacers.
- The Spurs are expected to be short-handed to start, with De’Aaron Fox, Jeremy Sochan and Kelly Olynyk out, and speculative chatter about a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade remains just that.