Magic Johnson Congratulates Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama On Winning Award Named After Lakers Legend

Feb 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Feb 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Magic Johnson Congratulates Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama On Winning Award Named After Lakers Legend

Originally posted on Lakers Nation | By Matt Peralta | Last updated Apr 18, 2026 12:10 PM ET

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The future of the NBA appears to be bright as young superstars like Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs are emerging both on and off the court.

Wembanyama is a true unicorn of a player given his size, skill, length, shooting ability and overall basketball IQ. There’s no question that Wembanyama is a superstar and the scary thing for the rest of the league is that he’ll only continue to get better as he plays in more meaningful games.

Aside from his potential on the court, Wembanyama has proven to be a true ambassador of the game as he’s willing to speak on a variety of topics. For that reason, he was named the winner of the PBWA 2025-2026 Magic Johnson Award and received a congratulations from the Los Angeles Lakers legend himself, via his personal X account:

Congratulations to superstar Victor Wembanyama for winning the PBWA 2025-2026 Magic Johnson Award honoring the NBA player who best combines excellence on and off the court when dealing with the media and fans. I’m so excited for Wemby – he’s dominated this season averaging 25…

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 17, 2026

As Johnson noted, the award goes to the player who is gracious both on and off the floor with his time and Wembanyama fits the bill perfectly. Wembanyama joins a strong list of winners that includes Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, great company for the Spurs star to be in.

When listening to Wembanyama talk, it’s hard to believe he’s just 22 years old because he’s got a wise and mature perspective on basketball and life. He’s a special individual who has it what it takes to carry the mantle of being the face of the NBA like Johnson was back during his playing days.

Wembanyama has a chance to add to his already impressive resume as he and the Spurs enter the playoffs as the No. 2 overall seed in the Western Conference. San Antonio breezed through the 2025-26 season thanks to Wembanyama and a rising core of players featuring Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.

JJ Redick discusses difficulties of facing Victor Wembanyama

Wembanyama and the Spurs won the regular season series against the Lakers three games to one, a sign of how dominant they’ve become. Wembanyama proved to be a massive problem as no one on Los Angeles’ roster could stop him once he got rolling on both ends of the floor.

Head coach JJ Redick discussed the difficulties of facing Wembanyama, specifically how much he impacts the defensive side of the floor.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Lakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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