Basketball’s next phenom has the San Antonio Spurs contending for a championship. It’s all because of the shot he’s stopped shooting.

All-Star center Victor Wembanyama is the type of superstar who tells you exactly how good he is and exactly how good he intends to be and does it with charm.

The Emirates NBA Cup 2025 Semifinals generated a 126% year-over-year increase in social media views, with more than 400 million views across all platforms. The Emirates NBA Cup 2025 Semifinals saw a 126% year-over-year increase in social media views, with more than 400 million views across all platforms. (Source: Videocites)

And that's perfectly fine. In fact, the NBA probably loves Wembanyama's one-sided bickering with Holmgren. And hopes the other party joins in sooner or later. After all, NBA fans love its theatrics almost as much as it loves the actual games being played.

The Spurs gave the Thunder their second loss of the season, after a strong 24-1 start. On Wembanyama’s return, he had 22 points, nine rebounds and two blocks off the bench. San Antonio will stay in Las Vegas, Nevada, to face the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup Finals on Tuesday.

How well is this team playing together? They're now 9-3 without Victor Wembanyama, and for those that want to throw dookie on the plus/minus stat, last year the Spurs only had three players on their roster with a positive flex. This year? Of the 18 guys who have stepped on the court, 14 are in the positive.

Which youngsters are among the next class of superstars? Which are already there? Our NBA experts rank their top 25 under 25.

Recently, ESPN proposed a trade idea that would see Wembanyama teamed up with Dallas Mavericks power forward Anthony Davis. In the deal, the Spurs would get Davis, the Mavericks would get Harrison Barnes, Luke Kornet, Keldon Johnson, and multiple second-round picks, and the Chicago Bulls would get Naji Marshall.