Victor Wembanyama pumps brakes on Spurs-Thunder rivalry

The San Antonio Spurs are gearing up for Tuesday night’s championship showdown against the New York Knicks in the finale of the 2025 NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. 

The Spurs are a surprise team in the NBA’s in-season tournament title game. Many expected the reigning NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder to represent the Western Conference, but they were upset in the semifinal round by Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. San Antonio edged OKC at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, 111-109, with Wembanyama returning from a 12-game absence due to a calf injury.

But just because the Spurs became the second team this season to beat Oklahoma City doesn’t mean San Antonio should be viewed as a chief Thunder rival — at least from Wembanyama’s perspective.

“I think we’re not quite there yet, but it’s a good sign that people see that it’s possible because it’s not like we’re the second seed right now,” Wembanyama said, via Clemente Almanza of the OKC Thunder Wire.

“I don’t think anybody right now can claim to have a rivalry with them in the league. They’re in their own tier.”

Still, it’s hard to deny that the Spurs are a team on the rise. With Wembanyama as the franchise’s cornerstone and other promising young players in the fold, San Antonio could soon become a major contender in the Western Conference and a serious threat to OKC.

If anything, the thrilling first encounter between the Spurs and the Thunder in the 2025-26 NBA season adds flavor to their next meeting, which will be on Dec. 23 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.