'It's A Long Season': San Antonio Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama Not Dwelling on Opening-Night Loss

San Antonio Spurs power forward Victor Wembanyama's regular-season debut didn't exactly go as many had hoped for, but as far as the rookie is concerned, what "many" think doesn't matter.

OCT 25 - San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama stands in the back tunnels of Frost Bank Center. 

It's Wednesday night. Signage throughout the stadium and locker room that used to don AT&T's simplistic blue globe logo have since been replaced with a new logo featuring a white ring, signifying the newest era of San Antonio basketball. 

For the 18,947 Spurs fans — many of which were packed into their team's arena on a standing-room-only basis and a promise to witness history — it's a new look, but the same home. The same Silver & Black. The same Coyote. The same Spurs.

But for Wembanyama — who's still yet to enter the arena's main floor — it's both a new look and a new home. 

But "new" hasn't stopped him to this point.

So, with his right-arm accessory already on and donning practice attire, the 7-4 rookie steps out of the tunnel. Instantly, he's met with fans on both sides of the railings — some wearing his jersey, others dangling it in front of him — but almost all of them with their hands out, wanting a chance to high-five him on his debut night.

And as he walks out of the tunnel, it hits him: he's home. So, in front of his new San Antonio family, he does what feels natural. 

Wembanyama extended both of his arms — easily able to reach fans on both sides of him with his 8-foot wing span — and he embraced it. 

"It felt surreal for a moment," he said. "I just feel very lucky to be here."

Oct 25, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) enters the court before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Frost Bank Center / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

As the countdown clock ticked down closer to quadruple zeros, the atmosphere in Frost Bank Center only continued to grow in excitement and anticipation. And when it hit, the arena's lights went out, fans' flashlights came on and the cameras went live.

Wembanyama's debut had arrived, and it didn't disappoint ... for the first quarter. 

After 11 minutes and 39 seconds of action, the rookie had amassed six points, one assist two rebounds and a block — but he also had two fouls. Suddenly, he was benched, and not having a poor performance.

“One of the toughest things for a player is you get into foul trouble,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said following San Antonio's 126-119 loss to Dallas. “You never get in a rhythm and you’re in and out of the game and that sort of thing."

Such told the story of the better part of Wembanyama's first outing. He was playing well when he was in the game, but bad fouls kept that time to a minimum. Despite the frustration, however, Wembanyama kept his head up for no other reason than leadership.

"It might be frustrating, but always keeping my head up is good for my teammates," Wembanyama said. "I can't show it on the court. I was just focused on being the best I could be when I stepped back on the court." 

Wembanyama's pursuit of being the best player he can be — in all facets — isn't a new one. Even on his debut night, with all eyes on him, on the bench, at that, he held true to his word. 

And Popovich commended that. 

"I thought his maturity showed," the veteran coach said. "He had a wonderful outing considering [his foul trouble]. ... He came in with the last, I think, seven minutes and just played.”

Wembanyama's final seven minutes completely changed the course of his debut. Coming into the game with San Antonio down by five points, the rookie was tasked with leading a comeback rally, and that he almost did. 

In quick succession, Wembanyama notched an alley-oop dunk, a 3-pointer, an And-1 dunk and a jumper to tie the game at 115 a piece. Then, the Spurs took a slim lead. 

San Antonio didn't end up winning. Crucial mistakes down the stretch that can be chalked up to inexperience made sure of that, but had it not been for Wembanyama’s fourth quarter, this article might be playing defense for the rookie. Perhaps a "How can Wembanyama bounce back from a sub-double-digit performance?"

Instead, it's about his maturity, leadership and his positive mindset heading into the second regular-season game of his career — when the world will again, be watching.

"[That] doesn't change anything for me," Wembanyama said. "Of course I want to give the best show for the fans, especially here in San Antonio and in France. But [this is] still my job. I still have responsibilities toward my coach and my teammates, so [the world] is not what matters."

Despite what goes on around him, Wembanyama is locked into making his team better and improving himself. Luckily, he and his teammates are already on the same page not 48 hours after finishing their first regular season. They have to be. 

“It’s a long season," Wembanyama said. "We've got other things to take care of. We’re already focused on the next game.”

"It’s only our first regular season game together,” he said. “We’re going to watch film and maybe this happened, but if we notice it on the film, the coaches and ourselves, the players will make whatever it takes to get better.”

What the Spurs will see on the film will be a boatload of positives, but also an equal amount of positives. Yes, they're miles ahead of where they were one season ago, but they aren't focused on anything other than the present. 

That means Friday night against the Houston Rockets, in the same Frost Bank Center that Wembanyama made his debut in. In front of the same crowd that welcomed the rookie with open arms from the time he entered the floor from the back tunnels of the re-branded arena to the time he left back through it as an 0-1 future superstar.

But, records fall in the same category as the rest of the outside noise. All that matters for Wembanyama is that he'll be back at home. 

And he wants to win.

"We're all hungry," the rookie said. "Especially for the next game. We want to start our season with the most wins possible to launch us [forward] for the rest of the season."