Tonight, the San Antonio Spurs lost to the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup Finals, despite a valiant effort from the San Antonio Spurs. Unfortunately, for Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, this wasn’t the only setback he faced today. During the game, he seemed checked out and disengaged, and we soon found out why.

During the postgame conference, Wembanyama came to the podium in tears and was asked a question to which he did not immediately respond. After a small pause, he revealed:

“Sorry, just I lost somebody today. I’ll take one more question.”

We later found out what happened. The day of the NBA Cup finals, Wembanyama got word that his grandmother, who was back in France, had passed away, leaving the center shaken.

The only question Wembanyama took during his conference was about how the team can grow from the loss, and he simply acknowledged how this game served as experience for high-stakes matchups for a young squad going forward.

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The center finished tonight’s game with 18 points, six rebounds, an assist, two blocks and a steal as the Spurs fell 113-124. Tonight was his second game returning from a calf injury that sidelined him for 12 games.

So far, it is unclear if Wembanyama will take some time off to mourn his grandmother’s passing, but the Spurs will surely provide him with emotional support as he processes the unfortunate news.

This is the latest setback in a series of unfortunate events in the young star’s hopeful career.

Just earlier this year, during the 2024-25 season, his Defensive Player of the Year campaign was cut short by a life-threatening case of deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, which he had to take blood thinners for, and now, fans from all over the NBA landscape came together to send him their well-wishes.

Family Has Always Been Victor Wembanyama’s Anchor, Long Before This Night

For Victor Wembanyama, family has never been a side note in his life, but the central focus of it. Right after being drafted to the Spurs in 2023, he confidently explained that his family “are the stability in my life,” and it’s easy to see in his reaction tonight.

His grandmother was particularly integral to his foundation, being a basketball player herself, and drove her husband, also a pro-baller, to and from his games.

It was clear that her loss meant a lot to him, and his effort to play through the emotions today is commendable. Despite the loss, he showed professionalism, even showing up to the postgame conference. The emotion showing up wasn’t surprising, but the inevitable release of his foundation being shaken.

“The notion of family has always been really important to Victor,” former teammate and current Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud explained in an interview before Wembanyama was drafted. “It’s everyone in his life. He has this feeling for them that is very strong and he will not hide it.”

It’s essential to note that Wembanyama didn’t cite motivation or inspiration, but rather stability in the role of his family in his life. For him, family is the thing that holds when everything else stretches, and now, he is going through a tense upheaval. We offer our condolences to him and wish him the best of luck during this difficult time.