Mar 27, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and head coach Gregg Popovich speak during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

'His Body is Not Ready for 82' – San Antonio Spurs Receive Victor Wembanyama Warning From Former 4-Time NBA All-Star

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 6:58 PM ET

Ralph Sampson recently urged the San Antonio Spurs to protect Victor Wembanyama at all costs, as he doesn’t want the young Frenchman to experience his fate.

Sampson was supposed to dominate the NBA during the 1980s because of his towering presence, as he was listed at 7’4″ and 228 pounds. However, Sampson’s career was cut short due to injuries.

“Wemby’s going to be good. They need to slow him down a little bit cause his body not ready for 82 (games)… But he got a great attitude. But I could dribble and shoot, I wish I could shoot more threes,” Sampson said about Wembanyama.

Nov 23, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) looks up in front of Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

To Sampson’s point, Wembanyama has yet to play all 82 regular season games with the San Antonio Spurs thus far. During his sophomore campaign, the former Rookie of the Year had his year cut short due to his blood clot diagnosis.

San Antonio Spurs rookie suffer injury setback

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper recently underwent surgery on his shooting hand and will miss all of training camp. The injury came after Harper was limited to Summer League appearances due to a minor groin injury.

The injury comes at an unfortunate time for Harper. The team hopes that the former Rutgers standout won’t miss a chunk of the start of the 2025-26 season.

The San Antonio Spurs will commence their season on October 22 against the Dallas Mavericks.