Hector Ledesma Articles - Page 14

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama raised some eye brows following Tuesday night’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies when he revealed he had checked himself into the game without the consent of Hall of Fame coach, Gregg Popovich. Don’t expect the team’s second-best player to follow suit. ClutchPoints asked Devin Vassell if he’d consider making […]

A new year can promise new beginnings. For head coach Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, they’ll be happy with a small step forward — a step they think they might be taking now. Mired in the midst of what would easily be the worst season in Spurs franchise history if they continue as […]

As ABC gets set to televise midweek NBA games, a Victor Wembanyama-Chet Holmgren match-up this month has been stripped. The league and the San Antonio Spurs announced that the January 24 contest in the Alamo City against the Oklahoma City Thunder will instead air on ABC’s sister network, ESPN. The game time has been changed […]

When San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama entered Tuesday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t because his Hall of Fame coach, Gregg Popovich, sent him in. “I wasn’t allowed to sub in but I still did it. The coach sent me out right after,” the Spurs […]

With San Antonio Spurs center Zach Collins out for two to four weeks according to coach Gregg Popovich, and with Victor Wembanyama on minutes restriction as he recovers from a right ankle injury, the Spurs have applied for a Disabled Player Exception. It’s a move centered on another of the Spurs’ big men, Charles Bassey. […]

For many, New Year’s resolutions don’t last very long–that is for those who even make them. But perhaps most folks make, or continue, resolutions without the formal tag that comes with the turn of the calendar. Consider San Antonio spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama among the latter. Asked if he has any New Year’s resolutions, the […]

With an NBA best 26-6 record and having closed 2023 with six straight wins, the Boston Celtics are the envy of most teams across the league. Include the San Antonio Spurs in that group, though for the proud Silver and Black franchise, admiration may more immediately trump objective. Gregg Popovich used the terms “All-Star talent” […]

Taking on the team with the NBA’s best record for a San Antonio Spurs squad with one of the league’s worst marks already proved a daunting task. Add the absence of their third leading scorer and a player who’s started most games this season (Keldon Johnson), and the task went from daunting to nearly impossible. […]

With Victor Wembanyama returning, Zach Collins is ruled out. And with that, a set rotation earlier in the season for the San Antonio Spurs is now in flux. After suffering what the team calls a right ankle sprain in Friday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Collins won’t play New Year’s Eve vs. the Boston […]

The San Antonio Spurs outscored the Portland Trail Blazers by five points in the third quarter and by four points in the fourth to make things interesting down the stretch. In the end, a second period in which the Silver and Black were outscored by 15 proved the difference, especially with Victor Wembanyama held out […]

Both Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson played well in the first-ever NBA meeting for the two highly touted prospects. But there was a clear-cut winner in the San Antonio Spurs’ 118-105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. While Henderson scored 25 in 36 minutes as a starter in place of an ill Anfernee Simons, Wemby […]

For the better past of a year they were the two most hyped basketball prospects. In fact, some wondered if Scoot Henderson should be taken first in the NBA Draft and opined that in any other season, he would be the consensus top pick. But in the year of Victor Wembanyama, it was the French […]

As much as winning the draft lottery and the 7’3 generational prospect prize that came with it sent the city into hysteria, the perception of the 2022-2023 San Antonio Spurs added to the intrigue. Tons of questions surround any NBA team that wins just 22 of 82 games. But unique types of questions surrounded last […]

Hours before, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said that Keldon Johnson would now come off the bench – with an insinuation that the move is long-term. “We just want shore up that second group a little bit and we can concentrate a little more on Victor (Wembanyama) and Devin (Vassell),” the Hall of […]

On paper, it was a contest the San Antonio Spurs figured to have a decent chance of winning. Then again, with a 4-24 record heading in, that was tough to tell. The Silver and Black resumed play the night after Christmas with a 130-118 defeat at the hands of the Utah Jazz at the Frost […]

With a two-night break in their schedule, it’s fair to expect Victor Wembanyama will play in Tuesday’s San Antonio Spurs contest vs. the Utah Jazz. Of course, that assumption held leading into Saturday night’s game at the Dallas Mavericks. “It’s tough. It’s a weird one, you never really see that. We were just hoping that […]

A 144-119 loss to the Dallas Mavericks marks the ninth in the last 10 matchups for the San Antonio Spurs against their rivals from up I-35. And the lone win came in last season’s finale when both teams — eliminated from the playoff picture — sat just about every member of their rotations, including Mavs […]

For the first time in franchise history, the San Antonio Spurs have gone through a stretch in which they’ve lost 22 of 23 games. A 144-119 loss at the Dallas Mavericks is the latest in a string that dates back to Nov. 5. Luka Doncic scored a game-high 33 when the two teams met in […]

The family of the man heavily responsible for the San Antonio Spurs’ existence in the city is back in the fold. The McCombs family is joining the Spurs investor group as its newest strategic partner in a move that has been approved by the NBA Board of Governors and executed. The move continues a historic […]

It’s natural to link Victor Wembanyama with fellow San Antonio Spurs top overall draft picks Tim Duncan and David Robinson. As far as Gregg Popovich and his coaching staff are concerned, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis provide better rookie season blueprints while Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and the likes of Kevin McHale provide […]

The worst losing streak in San Antonio Spurs history has now matched the worst stretch the franchise has ever endured. In losing 21 of their last 22 games, the Spurs have equaled last year’s team as the only versions in the proud history of the organization to lose 21 of 22 contests. With a loss […]

Victor Wembanyama didn’t play much in his return from a sore right ankle in Thursday night’s loss to the Chicago Bulls. The star rookie played in only 22 minutes, scoring a career-low seven points and grabbing five rebounds at the United Center. “No, he’s fine. He’s fine. He has a minute limitation so we have […]

Following the San Antonio Spurs 21st loss in their last 22 games, the team’s second-leading scorer,  Devin Vassell, who paced the team in Thursday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, left no doubt about what he perceives as one of his squad’s biggest issues: Finding rookie Victor Wembanyama and others when they’re in a good position. “Being […]

While Victor Wembanyama will likely play in the San Antonio Spurs only visit to Chicago, the team’s second leading scorer might not. And like Wemby, the Spurs third leading scorer will also probably suit up. The Silver and Black enter Thursday night’s game with a 4-22 record. The Chicago Bulls are 12-17, though they’ve won […]

Victor Wembanyama is the San Antonio Spurs’ biggest star. Devin Vassell may have the most offensive versatility. Jeremy Sochan may be their best perimeter defender. Keldon Johnson? Well…he’s there. Seemingly in the best possible way. In his fifth year with the  Spurs, J0hnon is the elder statesman of the team’s young core. Even though he’s […]

A little more than halfway through the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks, the San Antonio Spurs found themselves down 21-3. The deficit reached 20 late in the period before it topped out at 22 early in the second quarter. The Bucks, led by Damian Lillard’s season-high 40 points, then outscored the Victor Wembanyama-less road […]

While fans will miss out on the first Victor Wembanyama vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo matchup in Tuesday’s San Antonio Spurs vs Milwaukee Bucks game, there is a factor worth noting. Of the players often compared to Wemby through his first two months in the NBA, Antetokounmpo’s name isn’t mentioned much. Whether LeBron James because of the […]

When the San Antonio Spurs got “whipped” (to reference the form of a word coach Gregg Popovich used following the team’s latest blowout) by the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 14, it pushed them into a distinction they would’ve like to have avoided. That 123-87 thumping at OKC meant they’d lost three of their first […]

As the San Antonio Spurs continue to try to find their way, they’re navigating the reality of the last month and half. A 146-110 thumping at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans drops them to a Western Conference worst 4-21 and marks a 19th loss in their last 20 games. Despite that figurative umbrella, […]

It was fun while it lasted. The San Antonio Spurs will taste victory again this season, at least a couple more times you would suspect, but a 146-110 shellacking to the New Orleans Pelicans ends hope they would start a streak following Friday’s euphoric win against the Los Angeles Lakers. “That’s what you call an […]

A certain phrase in relation to a key aspect of basketball pops up when San Antonio Spurs players talked about improvement after breaking a 18-game losing streak. “Defensively, we’ve stepped up, staying locked in,” star rookie Victor Wembanyama says. “Even when we couldn’t hit shots, we stuck together and locked in on defense,” forward Keldon […]

Throughout the course of a nightmarish 18-game losing streak, the San Antonio Spurs said all the right things publicly — almost ad nauseam. Frankly, because they had to way too often. Words such as “Consistency is key,” “If I had it figured out, I would tell you and tell my teammates,” and “Tough times don’t […]

December hadn’t brought tons of holiday cheer to San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell’s game. A career-high 36 points against the Los Angeles Lakers should change that. A 129-115 victory on Friday broke the franchise’s longest losing streak in team history at 18. For Vassell, it ended a mini personal slump. Vassell cold in December […]

It is over. The San Antonio Spurs’ franchise record 18-game losing streak ended with a 129-115 win vs. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Afterward, the Silver and Black didn’t hold any excitement back. “S**t, we won. It’s fantastic. It was great. It was great,” Spurs center Zach Collins exclaimed. “We’re going to keep […]

Count San Antonio Spurs teammate Keldon Johnson among those whose admiration for super rookie Victor Wembanyama grows with every day. “Vic is special,” the fifth-year Spurs forward said following Wednesday’s performance against the Lakers in which the 7’4 big man scored 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked 6 shots, “To see how he dominates […]

With every night these days, the San Antonio Spurs build on franchise infamy. A 122-119 outcome at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers at the Frost Bank Center on Wednesday night is actually their 18th loss in a row. It didn’t matter that LA didn’t have LeBron James, who missed the game with a […]

As much as Victor Wembanyama is linked with fellow San Antonio Spurs legends Tim Duncan and David Robinson around the city in which he now plays, he’s often compared to LeBron James globally. Quite the compliment for a 19 year-old who just played his 21st NBA game. The once-in-a-lifetime prospect could face the last man […]

The 2023-24 San Antonio Spurs have entered the chat. A 93-82 loss to the Rockets means this year’s edition of the Silver and Black stands alone in franchise infamy. Their 17 straight losses are the most any Spurs team has ever endured. Prior to this season, three squads stood out in franchise history as the […]

Perhaps it’s fitting. The San Antonio Spurs turned in their worst offensive performance of the season in a loss that stands out in the annals of franchise history. The 93-82 setback against the Houston Rockets marks a 17th consecutive loss for the Silver and Black. No Spurs team dating back to their days as the […]