When news broke that Victor Wembanyama returned to practice for the San Antonio Spurs, fans around the NBA world openly wondered if the two-time block champion could make his highly anticipated return to the court against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Cup Tournament.
On paper, things couldn't have shaped up better from a narrative standpoint, with the brightest young star on a rookie-scale contract against the face of the NBA for the last two decades, but alas, it wasn't meant to be, as ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported on social media.
One of the most highly anticipated prospects to join the NBA in a very long time, with his pre-draft hype rivaling that of King James two decades prior, Wembanyama has picked up where he left off in 2024-25 when he suffered a season-ending deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks in 34.7 minutes of action per game.
While his production has improved to career-highs across the board, the injury bug has remained a persistent occupant of San Antonio, with Wemby missing the last month with a calf injury. Fortunately, it appears his calf is slowly improving, with the 7-foot-4 phenom returning to practice as he works his way back into playing shape. Unfortunately, his return won't come against the Lakers, with the rest of the NBA Cup still very much up in the air, depending on how far his team can go.
