On Saturday night, the San Antonio Spurs went back and forth with the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in a tightly contested NBA Cup semifinals matchup. Ultimately, the Spurs prevailed, finishing with four scorers of 22 or more points.
Victor Wembanyama was one of those players, scoring 22 points in 21 minutes after returning from injury. After the game, last year's MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had high praise for San Antonio, anticipating a rivalry between the two sides for years to come.
However, when speaking to the media ahead of the NBA Cup Final on Tuesday, Wembanyama downplayed that notion. "I think we're not quite there yet but it's a good sign that people see that it's possible. It's not like we're the second seed right now. I don't think anybody right now can claim to have a rivalry with them in the league. They're in their own tier, but in the future, provided that they stay just as good and we reach that level, of course it'd be great to have a rivalry. I'm very interested by it."
In that response, Wembanyama returned the sentiment of Alexander, as the two sides clearly have respect and admiration for one another.
Although San Antonio isn't ranked second in the West, similarly to Oklahoma City, their young core is expected to prosper for years to come.
After Tuesday's NBA Cup Final, the Spurs will return home to face the Washington Wizards on Thursday before embarking on a brief two game road trip.
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