Feb 23, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) against the against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Spurs' Wemby Announcement Could Boost Major NBA Award Chances

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Justin Grasso | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 11:42 AM ET

When it comes to personal accolades for NBA veterans, the magic number is 65.

If a guy like San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama wants to win a major personal award in the NBA, he needs at least 65 games played. After missing a chunk of the 2024-2025 NBA season with deep vein thrombosis, it was unclear if Wembanyama would be available for the start of the 2025-2026 season.

Fortunately for the Spurs, Wembanyama has received clearance from the league and the Spurs’ organization right in time for training camp.

"Victor is cleared, he's been cleared by our medical team and the league," said Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson. "He's been ramping up, he's been in a really good place... He was in angst for a long time to get back, so I would say that's probably that more than anything.”

With that news, you can count on Wenbanyama to be a major player in several NBA award races, as long as his body allows him to play in at least 65 games.

Wemby’s Upcoming Campaigns

At this point, Wembanyama has several notable accolades just two years in. He won the Rookie of the Year award back in 2023-2024. He was named to the All-Defensive First Team during that same season.

During his sophomore season, Wembanyama was on pace to finish with similar results. However, the early shutdown caused him to play in just 46 games. For the second season in a row, Wembanyama was leading the NBA in blocks per game with 3.8.

One has to assume that Wembanyama will be relevant in the Defensive Player of the Year category once again. When he came up short during his rookie year, he was voted second behind the Minnesota Timberwolves center, Rudy Gobert.

Last season, the finalists were Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green, Atlanta Hawks’ Dyson Daniels, and Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley, who took home the hardware.

The MVP award could be in play for Wembanyama. Along with his defense, the Spurs center’s offense has been just as great. During his rookie year, Wembanyama proved his worth as a three-level scorer right out of the gate. He made 47 percent of his shots and knocked down 33 percent from three on 5.5 attempts per game. He averaged 21.4 points and 3.9 assists.

Before going out last season, Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, while shooting 48 percent from the field, and hitting on threes at a 35 percent clip, taking 8.8 shots per game from long range.

Last year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo were the three MVP finalists. While those three could be in play once again this season, Wembanyama might be a dark horse candidate to take it home this time around.