Inside The Spurs

'It Was Unbelievable!' San Antonio Spurs' Zach Collins Reacts to Victor Wembanyama's Ankle Non-Injury

After Victor Wembanyama took a scary fall on his ankle against the Houston Rockets, fear surged through the San Antonio Spurs' bench as they watched him hit the deck. But he wasn't down for long — recovering right away to continue playing

Matt Guzman

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SAN ANTONIO — When he isn't playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama goes to bed at 9:30 p.m. sharp.

It's one of the many unique qualities that's set the Spurs rookie apart from the rest of his class off the court almost as much as he already is on it. Between his early bedtime, his love of arts and culture and even his dedication to reading (you won't be able to reach him during his mandated 30 minutes of reading every night), Wembanyama truly is one-of-a-kind. 

But as much as that's already a known fact, the rookie again defied all odds with a viral play on the basketball court against the Houston Rockets. And it was almost disastrous.

Early in the second half, Wembanyama dived for a loose ball, but in the process of retrieving it, his ankle landed wrong on the court, turning nearly 90 degrees and causing the big man to fall. 

San Antonio's bench had a naturally shocked reaction, with Spurs center Sandro Mamukelashvili being the first to get up from his seat to help an obviously injured Wembanyama. But the catch? Wembanyama wasn't injured at all. 

In fact, he got right back up and postered Rockets center Alperen Sengun.

"We talked about it," Spurs center Zach Collins said when asked about Wembanyama's ankle scare. "I didn't even see that it twisted until I saw the video, but ... you can tell when a [players'] leg hits the ground and it just doesn't look right. 

"When I saw the video, it was just unbelievable that he just [got back up]."

Dec 11, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center / © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Unbelievable seems to be a word nearly synonymous with Wembanyama at this point. His ankle non-injury certainly proved that, but even more so, it was the following days of practice that made the play seem even less significant, as dangerous as it was.

"I asked him today [about it]," Collins said during shoot-around prior to facing the Los Angeles Lakers. "He said it's not sore." 

Since the summer, when Wembanyama put out a viral video of his stretch routing, and even dating back to when his trainer detailed the way he prepares for every game, it was evident that the rookie cares about his body. And it's payed off. 

"It's a testament to how he takes care of his body," Collins said. "He does everything he needs to in the weight room. He doesn't take that part for granted." 

Wembanyama Keeps Proving Why He's a 'Scary Defender'

But as beneficial as Wembanyama's discipline has been to his health and his performance so far this season, it's even a little much for his own teammates.

When asked if the rest of the team would be picking up the rookie's intense stretching routine, Collins replied with a laugh and two words.

"Hell no."

Wembanyama continue to be solo on his stretching routine this season, but at least he's committed to being healthy. Healthy and in Collins' words — unbelieveable. 

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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.

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