Spurs Starter, Thursday, September 19, 2024: Victor Wembanyama Makes Topps Hobby Night Appearance

Your daily briefing on what's going on with the San Antonio Spurs, including news, draft & more.
Sep 14, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama (1) interacts with fans at Topps Hobby Rip Night.
Sep 14, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama (1) interacts with fans at Topps Hobby Rip Night. / Photo provided by Topps
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Happy Thursday, Por Vida fans! Welcome to your afternoon Spurs Starter.

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama made a special appearance in San Antonio over the weekend, giving fans a chance to meet him and unpack some potentially valuable cards.

A young fan holds a San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama (1) trading card during Topps' Hobby Rip Night.
Sep 14, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; A young fan holds a San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama (1) trading card during Topps' Hobby Rip Night. / Photo provided by Topps

READ MORE: Spurs' New NBA Cup Court, City Edition Uniforms Leaked

The event — Topps Hobby Rip Night — came shortly after new chrome cards featuring the 20-year-old star were announced. And while the extremely rare one, a dual-autographed card with LeBron Hames, wasn't found that night, it remains out there.

Now, here are some headlines:

THE NEWS

1. READ: VICTOR WEMBANYAMA CRACKS TOP 5 NBA BIG MAN LIST

As he enters his second season, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is poised for a significant leap forward.

Read the full story at the link above.

2. WATCH: HOW HAS WEMBANYAMA CHANGED THE NBA'S DYNAMIC?

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama proved he'll be worth the hype on the basketball court, but off it, he's also made waves, according to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

Watch the latest episode of The San Antonio Minute to find out more:

3. READ: WHO WOULD SPURS PROTECT IN EXPANSION DRAFT?

The San Antonio Spurs won't have to worry about this for a little while longer according to Adam Silver, but if an NBA expansion were to happen, which eight players would be protected and why?

Read the full story at the link above.

THE DRAFT

Now that the 2024 NBA Draft is over, you can check out the newest Spurs and what they might bring to the team next season and down the road. Below are the some stories about the rookies selected:

Round 1, Pick No. 4: Stephon Castle

Round 2, Pick No. 36: Juan Núñez

Round 2, Pick No. 48: Harrison Ingram

THE SCHEDULE

There are 33 days until opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season, but the San Antonio Spurs have more to look forward to prior to that. The regular season schedule will be released at 2 p.m. Central, but the entire preseason schedule, the NBA Cup slate and the Christmas Day schedule has.

Below is a list of dates and start times (all in CST) for all relevant Spurs games:

San Antonio Spurs Preseason

Oct. 7: Home vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Tipoff 7 p.m.)
Oct. 9: Home vs. Orlando Magic (Tipoff 7 p.m.)
Oct. 12: Home vs. Utah Jazz (Tipoff 7 p.m.)

Oct. 15: Away at Miami Heat (Tipoff 6:30 p.m.)
Oct. 17: Away at Houston Rockets (Tipoff 7 p.m.)

San Antonio Spurs Regular Season Schedule

Oct. 24: Season Opener at Dallas Mavericks
Oct. 26: Home opener vs. Houston Rockets

Nov. 15: Group Play Begins vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Dec. 10: NBA Cup Knockout Rounds Begin
Dec. 25: MSG Christmas at New York Knicks

Dec. 31: New Year's vs. LA Clippers

Jan. 23-25: Paris Games vs. Indiana Pacers

Feb. 3: Rodeo Road Trip Begins at Memphis Grizzlies

Feb. 14-16: All-Star Break

Feb. 20: Spurs Get Moody vs. Phoenix Suns
Feb. 21: Spurs Get Moody vs. Detroit Pistons

March 21: Longest Home Stand Ends vs. Philadelphia 76ers

April 6: Final Road Trip Begins at Portland Trail Blazers
April 13: Final Home Game vs. Toronto Raptors

AROUND THE NBA

Catch up on some of the league-wide headlines below:

Also, be sure to follow along with Spurs On SI's NBA tracker, with more detailed breakdowns of major league news and updates.

THE CLOSER

Check out our homepage for more news and follow us on the platforms below. Thank you for tuning in and enjoy the rest of your Thursday.

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Published
Matt Guzman

MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.