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During a standout 52-point, 24-rebound performance at home on Wednesday, San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama experienced a moment that topped his list of memorable plays—but it wasn't a highlight-reel dunk or a clutch shot. It was when he rolled his ankle.
With 9:11 left in the fourth quarter, Wembanyama's right foot landed on Walter Clayton Jr.'s left shoe as he turned to transition to defense. His ankle twisted inward, and he crumpled to the floor, clutching his leg. The injury looked painful, but Wembanyama was back on his feet in moments.
"He's Superman," teammate Dylan Harper remarked. "He rolls an ankle and pops right up like nothing happened. I've never seen anything like that."
Since entering the NBA in 2023, Wembanyama has been a vocal proponent of his own durability. He dedicates significant time to working with the Spurs' training staff, both in practice and pregame, to stretch and maximize his body's flexibility. He often performs these exercises barefoot, using elastic bands and tennis balls, and even walks to postgame press conferences without shoes to feel the ground beneath him.
"Big men have always had foot problems," Wembanyama said in a recent interview with 60 Minutes. "Feet are responsible for so much. If you've got good foot strength, which brings good foot posture, everything else can develop the right way." The 22-year-old credits good foot posture for benefiting his knees, hips, and back, with his ankles certainly part of that equation.
Wembanyama attributes his extensive ankle training to preparing for moments like Wednesday night. "The thing your body won't forgive you for is if you go through a range you've never been before," he explained. "But I've trained my ankles. They've been through these ranges before, so it's not new."
On Friday against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center, Wembanyama found himself on the floor again, this time clutching his left ankle with 34 seconds left in the first half of the Spurs' 124-109 NBA Cup victory. Domantas Sabonis closed out on Wembanyama's 3-point attempt from the left wing and landed in his space, drawing a Flagrant 1 foul. Wembanyama's ankle buckled on the landing, but he recovered even quicker than before and finished with his fourth 30-point game of the season.
"Not my field of expertise," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of the second incident, "but I do know he puts more time into his preparation and into his body and recovery than anybody I've ever seen. Clearly he is helping himself as much as he can."
Of all the takeaways from his 52-point outburst against the Mavericks, Wembanyama remembers the ankle roll as a reminder of the physicality the Spurs need to secure their sixth straight win. He wasn't asked to share his standout moment on Friday, but his teammates will remember his durability.
"That's a testament to how he takes care of his body," Harper said after the win over Dallas. "How he focuses on his mobility and treatment. He's able to do things like that."