Hector Ledesma Articles - Page 6

The San Antonio Spurs trade for De’Aaron Fox brought about a prediction or two of what it would mean for not only the team but perhaps for the NBA’s Western Conference playoff picture. But the anticipation of watching Fox paired with Victor Wembanyama has dissipated since the generational talent’s season came to an end. The […]

At a point not long ago, the San Antonio Spurs had won 59 more games than the Memphis Grizzlies through their total series history. Because the Grizz are among the NBA’s newest franchises, with history from the then-Vancouver Grizzlies dating back to 1995, the Spurs racked up that lead by winning 87 of their first […]

When the San Antonio Spurs traded for De’Aaron Fox, the reality that he’d be paired with Victor Wembanyama was cause for excitement. But because of this NBA season’s most devastating injury, there’s a new reality for not only the Spurs but Fox as well. “We feel that he’s not out there,” the 2023 All-Star shared. […]

One of the few bright spots in the San Antonio Spurs season that’s becoming increasingly frustrating has been Stephon Castle. The rookie from UConn’s play rose to the spotlight post All-Star Break when acting head coach Mitch Johnson limited his playing time in consecutive games vs. the New Orleans Pelicans. After combining for 18 points […]

A little more than a week after living up to the Rising Star label he earned leading up to and during NBA All-Star Weekend, Stephon Castle is having trouble getting on the court for his own team. San Antonio Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson played the standout rookie only 12 minutes in a competitive […]

With every loss, the San Antonio Spurs continue to drift further away from the Western Conference’s Play-in picture. But back-to-back losses to a New Orleans Pelicans team that is heading into the mini-series with San Antonio ranked last in the conference gives a sense that it may only get worse for the Spurs from here. […]

In the midst of the news that the San Antonio Spurs are going to be without Victor Wembanyama for the remainder of the season, ClutchPoints talked exclusively with one of Wemby’s teammates. Julian Champagnie has started at times for the Spurs, especially earlier in the season. The 23-year-old has been playing well lately, scoring 18 […]

Two days after the San Antonio Spurs announced that Victor Wembanyama was out for the rest of the season, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Gregg Popovich won’t return this season either. The winningest coach in NBA history hasn’t been with the team since suffering a mild stroke at the beginning of November. Unlike the Wemby […]

The San Antonio Spurs fell to the worst team in the Western Conference in a 112-96 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Silver and Black blew a big third quarter lead in their third game since superstar Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the season. In his absence, one of the team’s biggest threats, […]

De’Aaron Fox has been playing with a nagging injury on his dominant hand for virtually the entire season. The San Antonio Spurs knew about his injured left pinky when they dealt for him shortly before the NBA trade deadline. But when both the Spurs and Sacramento Kings granted Fox’s wish of a trade, all sides […]

In the wake of perhaps the toughest injury news an NBA team has received this season, the San Antonio Spurs make a move to help bolster a front line that will be without generational talent Victor Wembanyama for the remainder of the season. The Silver and Black sign Bismack Biyombo to a second 10-day contract. […]

In what was probably the biggest NBA injury news the league has seen this season, the San Antonio Spurs were left with the reality of moving forward sans Victor Wembanyama. Hours after the team learned that their generational talent would miss the remainder of the year with a blood clot in his right shoulder, they […]

The San Antonio Spurs’ trade for De’Aaron Fox struck two chords with Spurs fans and most of the basketball world. General belief is that the organization has just given Victor Wembanyama a perfect mate. But another prevailing thought is that a Spurs team that was very much in the mix within the Play-in would have […]

Fans in Austin, Texas, may miss a chance to see Victor Wembanyama play in person, while basketball fans everywhere may not get to see the San Antonio Spurs phenom go toe to toe vs. Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant. The Spurs list Wemby as “Doubtful” for Thursday’s game because of “Injury/Illness.” The match-up against a […]

As the San Antonio Spurs hovered around the .500 mark for most of this season, Victor Wembanyama’s brilliance carried the day most of the way. On the other spectrum, the team’s youth and lack of consistency dominated other portions of the year. But no matter the specifics, on any given night through the first two […]

Given the reaction, it’s not a stretch to say that a good portion of the basketball world didn’t take to the new NBA All-Star Game format. Don’t count Victor Wembanyama among those folks. The San Antonio Spurs superstar left All-Star Weekend with a good first experience. “It was better than I expected,” the 2023 top […]

Stephon Castle had himself a busy NBA All-Star Weekend, between the Rising Stars Challenge, the Slam Dunk Contest and the All-Star Games. But while the San Antonio Spurs young standout’s plate was fuller than most, he still had what he calls a triumphant debut. “As a rookie, I feel like that was definitely a successful […]

For those who’ve followed the early portion of San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s career, his approach sticks out as much as, maybe more than, his skill set and size. Though NBA All-Star Weekend is anything but serious business around basketball circles, the phenom from France pays no mind to that. “I don’t need any […]

When the San Antonio Spurs traded for De’Aaron Fox earlier this month, it seemed like the kind of move that could catapult Victor Wembanyama and company past the Play-in race and into the NBA playoffs. Though they’ve lost five of their last 18 games, it could still happen. Here’s what is certain now, though. Reaching […]

Throughout most of this NBA season, the San Antonio Spurs have hovered around the .500 mark. But since the start of February, they’ve dipped to their worst mark of the year a couple of times. Past the midway point of the 2024-2025 campaign and as we approach the All-Star break, Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox and […]

Following the San Antonio Spurs 131-121 victory vs. the Washington Wizards, Victor Wembanyama shared an amusing anecdote he overheard regarding his new teammate De’Aaron Fox. In talking about the impact that the former All-Star is already having with the Spurs just four games in, Wemby departed from X’s and O’s and strategy. He started to […]

For a second straight night the San Antonio Spurs had the ball as the fourth quarter clock struck zero. And for the second straight night Mitch Johnson’s team failed to capitalize. The Silver and Black blew six-point lead in the final three minutes, and Victor Wembanyama missed at the buzzer in a 112-111 loss at […]

Newly added De’Aaron Fox may already rank as a San Antonio Spurs leader. But he’s making it clear that he’s under no delusion. Victor Wembanyama sets the tone for the Silver and Black. In the Spurs 126-125 victory vs. the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio took possession with 8.2 seconds left after Trae Young had just […]

It didn’t take long for De’Aaron Fox to praise new San Antonio Spurs teammate Victor Wembanyama. An admirer from a distance for much of the last season and a half, the former Sacramento King played his first game with Wemby in a 126-125 victory vs. the Atlanta Hawks. “He’s special,” Fox said of the Spurs […]

As De’Aaron Fox joins the San Antonio Spurs via a trade that registered around the NBA, the All-Star guard opens up about why he wanted to join the Silver and Black. “I just felt that this could be a special team,” Fox told reporters. The Spurs acquired the All-Star about a week after reports surfaced […]

Leading up to the San Antonio Spurs blockbuster deal for De’Aaron Fox, reports buzzed that the Spurs were in trade talks for the Sacramento Kings star. Though the chatter raised to noise at various times leading up to Sunday, Victor Wembanyama maintained a stoic demeanor publicly. “I trust the front office,” Wembanyama said . “[I] […]

As the San Antonio Spurs embark on their 23rd Rodeo Road Trip, they do so with recent history stacked against them. Correlated to their struggles over the last half-decade, the Silver and Black hope to turn those fortunes around with Victor Wembanyama in the mix for a second time as well as with the brand […]

Is it possible to give the San Antonio Spurs an A+++++ for the NBA trade they pulled with the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls for De’Aaron Fox? In teaming generational talent Victor Wembanyama with 27-year-old All-Star De’Aaron Fox, they kept Rising Star Stephon Castle, their three first-round draft picks from a struggling Atlanta Hawks organization […]

A Bam Adebayo buzzer beater for the Miami Heat thwarted the San Antonio Spurs chance at a win, and against an Eastern Conference contender at that. Without Victor Wembanyama, who missed the game vs. the Heat with illness, Harrison Barnes and the Spurs fell 105-103. View from inside the Frost Bank Center ⬇️ Bam Adebayo […]

Forever linked to legends Tim Duncan and David Robinson, Victor Wembanyama further etched himself into their notable circle. With his first NBA All-Star Game nod, Wemby is the first Spurs player to be selected in one of his first two seasons since Duncan in 1997-98. He also becomes the youngest All-Star in San Antonio franchise […]

For the second consecutive season and the fourth time in franchise history, the San Antonio Spurs have multiple Rising Stars on their roster. Stephon Castle will join Victor Wembanyama in representing the Silver and Black in an affair that highlights the brightest young talent in the league. For Castle, simply getting the nod as a […]

The NBA is set to announce the reserves for the NBA All-Star Game a week after the starters were revealed. And Chris Paul isn’t letting the opportunity go without touting his San Antonio Spurs superstar teammate Victor Wembanyama. “I hope the coaches will do right and make sure they put Vic into the game.” NBA […]

In falling to the Los Angeles Clippers by 12 points, there is another number that may prove uglier for Mitch Johnson in the San Antonio Spurs loss: 27. That’s by how much the Silver and Black lost the rebounding battle. The lopsided result comes as the Spurs went to a smaller line-up throughout the 128-116 […]

After a week in France, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs are back in the United States to resume the regular season. The Spurs won the first of two contests vs. the Indiana Pacers in Paris by 30 points. They lost the second by 38 points. It truly was a tale of two games. […]

Combine reports that the Sacramento Kings are open to trading superstar De’Aaron Fox and that they’ll hear offers with the belief that he’s zeroed in on a preferred destination, and the San Antonio Spurs have reemerged in related buzz. With Victor Wembanyama in place and given all the Spurs assets, it stands to reason. Despite […]

Chris Paul and the San Antonio Spurs ended their trip to France with a split in the 2025 Paris Games. A close, thrilling mini-series it was not. After beating the Indiana Pacers by thirty points, the Silver and Black lost to Indy by 38. The large differentials continue what’s become the norm for Victor Wembanyama […]

On yet another stage in which almost impossible expectations were placed on him, San  Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama again managed to exceed them. Playing in his home country in essentially his home city, the 21-year-old generational talent scored 30 points, grabbed six rebounds, blocked five shots and dished out six assists in leading the […]

As focused and mature as Victor Wembanyama has proven over his first season and a half in the NBA, the 21-year-old phenom is not missing the opportunity to soak in a trip to his native France for the San Antonio Spurs. “I’m going to enjoy this week for sure regardless of thick, how intense my […]

While in France for the San Antonio Spurs pair of games against the Indiana Pacers, the franchise’s CEO R.C. Buford shared an update on the status of Gregg Popovich. The Hall of Fame coach suffered a mild stroke in early November and has been away from the organization officially since then. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson […]