French teenage star Victor Wembanyama, the top pick in last month’s NBA Draft, will not play again for San Antonio in the NBA Summer League, according to multiple reports on Monday.
The Spurs shutting down the 19-year-old French center, who stands 7-foot-4 (2.24m), was not a surprise as Wembanyama himself said last week he did not expect to play more than twice in the Las Vegas gathering of young talent seeking NBA roster spots.
The San Antonio Express-News and ESPN, citing unnamed sources, both reported the Spurs have decided for certain to stick with the plan and sit out the NBA’s most highly touted prospect since LeBron James in 2003.
The Spurs have Summer League contests on Tuesday against Washington and Friday against Detroit.
Wembanyama enters his break after a busy 12 months that included a French league season, a whirlwind arrival in America, being selected first in the NBA Draft, his first taste of life on the court in the NBA and even a controversy when a Wembanyama security guard was involved in an incident with Britney Spears.
After a lackluster Summer League debut game in a San Antonio victory Friday over Charlotte with 2-of-13 shooting and only nine points, Wembanyama had a powerful performance in a loss Sunday to Portland with a team-high 27 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Wembanyama said late on Sunday he was looking forward to a vacation and mapping out the best plan to prepare himself for the start of the NBA regular season in October.
