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Clutching his fists with tears streaming down his cheeks, Victor Wembanyama let the emotions pour out onto the hardwood inside Paycom Center.
Moments later, De'Aaron Fox embraced the Spurs superstar before second-year guard Stephon Castle joined in. Soon after, the entire San Antonio roster collapsed into celebration at center court.
A once thunderous Oklahoma City crowd had suddenly fell silent. The only noise left inside the arena came from scattered “Go Spurs Go!” chants growing louder by the second.
For the first time since 2014, the San Antonio Spurs are headed back to the NBA Finals.
"Winning the Larry O’Brien is a childhood dream, and having a real shot at it, having a tangible chance at winning it, at realizing a dream, it’s a lifetime chance," Wembanyama said.
"You never know when it’s going to happen again. It's almost like the meaning of my life."
The Spurs defeated the Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday night behind one last dominant showing from Wembanyama.
REPORT CARD: Chet Holmgren crumbles for Thunder vs Spurs, Wemby: Game 7 report card
The 7-foot-4 phenom finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and a continued paint presence that completely warped OKC's offense. Every Thunder drive seemed to end the same way — with a hesitation, a panic pass or Wembanyama waiting at the rim.
Meanwhile, league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered his best game of the series in defeat, posting 35 points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals.
It just didn’t matter.
Wembanyama closed the series averaging 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks while unanimously capturing Western Conference finals MVP honors.
"I can go through hurdles that I didn't know could get so high," Wembanyama said. "It's just pushing through, I found resources inside of me, relentlessness. I already knew that, but doing it at this level, I mean, this is the best basketball on the planet that's being played right now. And the crazy thing is, maybe I'm crazy for that, but I want to do that 15, 20 more times. Let's hope it doesn't become an addiction. Maybe it is already."
Somehow, the 22-year-old still sounds like someone who thinks he’s only getting started.
Fox, who arrived in San Antonio after being traded from Sacramento in February 2025 largely to pair alongside Wembanyama, praised the superstar’s evolution over the last 16 months.
“The way that Victor approaches the game is different from obviously most players, but even most superstars,” Fox said. “He loves the game so much, and I think we all see the talent that he has and how much better he's grown as a basketball player.
“But I think just his leadership and the way that he's led from the moment that I got here to today, that's probably the biggest part of growth from him.”
TAKEAWAYS: SGA, OKC Thunder stunned by Spurs, Wemby in Game 7 to miss NBA Finals
San Antonio answered every punch OKC threw its way.
Whenever the Thunder threatened to seize momentum, someone in a Spurs jersey responded.
Julian Champagnie erupted for 20 points while knocking down six 3-pointers, delivering one of the biggest performances of his career. In doing so, Champagnie joined Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson as the only players in NBA history to hit at least six 3-pointers in a conference finals Game 7.
San Antonio controlled most of the night as the Thunder led for just 1 minute, 39 seconds total. And each brief OKC surge was immediately answered by a Spurs run.
A 16-2 run in the third quarter shifted momentum back toward San Antonio before another 13-4 run spanning the third and fourth quarters ultimately created separation. Moments like those continued to reinforce a growing belief surrounding this Spurs group.
“I think experience gets used a lot of times in its best form without knowing if it's being used in its best form and sometimes gets used in its worst form without knowing how it's being used,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.
“People don't talk as much about the habits, the character, the togetherness, the competitive response — the things we talk about every single day. This team has been pretty damn consistent for a long time now, for over 100 games for the most part. I don't know who has as much experience as we do this year in the season of 2025-26."
More: Wembanyama, Spurs outlast Thunder in Game 7 to advance to NBA Finals
The series victory marked San Antonio’s eighth win over OKC in 12 meetings this season, now including four postseason victories.
And after seven physical, emotional and star-powered games, the Western Conference finals may have officially launched the NBA’s next great rivalry.
Now, San Antonio will face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals with a chance to capture the franchise’s first championship since 2014.
But even amid the celebration, Wembanyama made one thing crystal clear.
The Spurs aren’t satisfied yet.
“We want four more — we are not done,” Wembanyama said. “I want to win so bad. It's like my life depends on it.”
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at[email protected] or on X/Twitter at @thejordancdavis. Sign up forThe Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Victor Wembanyama lifts Spurs vs Thunder in Game 7 to reach NBA Finals
Continue reading...
Moments later, De'Aaron Fox embraced the Spurs superstar before second-year guard Stephon Castle joined in. Soon after, the entire San Antonio roster collapsed into celebration at center court.
A once thunderous Oklahoma City crowd had suddenly fell silent. The only noise left inside the arena came from scattered “Go Spurs Go!” chants growing louder by the second.
For the first time since 2014, the San Antonio Spurs are headed back to the NBA Finals.
"Winning the Larry O’Brien is a childhood dream, and having a real shot at it, having a tangible chance at winning it, at realizing a dream, it’s a lifetime chance," Wembanyama said.
"You never know when it’s going to happen again. It's almost like the meaning of my life."
The Spurs defeated the Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday night behind one last dominant showing from Wembanyama.
REPORT CARD: Chet Holmgren crumbles for Thunder vs Spurs, Wemby: Game 7 report card
The 7-foot-4 phenom finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and a continued paint presence that completely warped OKC's offense. Every Thunder drive seemed to end the same way — with a hesitation, a panic pass or Wembanyama waiting at the rim.
Meanwhile, league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered his best game of the series in defeat, posting 35 points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals.
It just didn’t matter.
Wembanyama closed the series averaging 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks while unanimously capturing Western Conference finals MVP honors.
"I can go through hurdles that I didn't know could get so high," Wembanyama said. "It's just pushing through, I found resources inside of me, relentlessness. I already knew that, but doing it at this level, I mean, this is the best basketball on the planet that's being played right now. And the crazy thing is, maybe I'm crazy for that, but I want to do that 15, 20 more times. Let's hope it doesn't become an addiction. Maybe it is already."
Somehow, the 22-year-old still sounds like someone who thinks he’s only getting started.
Fox, who arrived in San Antonio after being traded from Sacramento in February 2025 largely to pair alongside Wembanyama, praised the superstar’s evolution over the last 16 months.
“The way that Victor approaches the game is different from obviously most players, but even most superstars,” Fox said. “He loves the game so much, and I think we all see the talent that he has and how much better he's grown as a basketball player.
“But I think just his leadership and the way that he's led from the moment that I got here to today, that's probably the biggest part of growth from him.”
TAKEAWAYS: SGA, OKC Thunder stunned by Spurs, Wemby in Game 7 to miss NBA Finals
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San Antonio answered every punch OKC threw its way.
Whenever the Thunder threatened to seize momentum, someone in a Spurs jersey responded.
Julian Champagnie erupted for 20 points while knocking down six 3-pointers, delivering one of the biggest performances of his career. In doing so, Champagnie joined Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson as the only players in NBA history to hit at least six 3-pointers in a conference finals Game 7.
San Antonio controlled most of the night as the Thunder led for just 1 minute, 39 seconds total. And each brief OKC surge was immediately answered by a Spurs run.
A 16-2 run in the third quarter shifted momentum back toward San Antonio before another 13-4 run spanning the third and fourth quarters ultimately created separation. Moments like those continued to reinforce a growing belief surrounding this Spurs group.
“I think experience gets used a lot of times in its best form without knowing if it's being used in its best form and sometimes gets used in its worst form without knowing how it's being used,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.
“People don't talk as much about the habits, the character, the togetherness, the competitive response — the things we talk about every single day. This team has been pretty damn consistent for a long time now, for over 100 games for the most part. I don't know who has as much experience as we do this year in the season of 2025-26."
More: Wembanyama, Spurs outlast Thunder in Game 7 to advance to NBA Finals
You must be registered for see images
The series victory marked San Antonio’s eighth win over OKC in 12 meetings this season, now including four postseason victories.
And after seven physical, emotional and star-powered games, the Western Conference finals may have officially launched the NBA’s next great rivalry.
Now, San Antonio will face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals with a chance to capture the franchise’s first championship since 2014.
But even amid the celebration, Wembanyama made one thing crystal clear.
The Spurs aren’t satisfied yet.
“We want four more — we are not done,” Wembanyama said. “I want to win so bad. It's like my life depends on it.”
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at[email protected] or on X/Twitter at @thejordancdavis. Sign up forThe Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Victor Wembanyama lifts Spurs vs Thunder in Game 7 to reach NBA Finals
Continue reading...
