Victor Wembanyama's rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs is over.
The team said Saturday that the 7-foot-4, 210-pound phenom from France will not play in Sunday's finale against the Detroit Pistons, ending a season that will almost certainly be followed by him being recognized as the NBA's rookie of the year.
His final per-game averages: 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and a league-leading 3.6 blocked shots.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich suggested after Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets that Wembanyama, who was the No. 1 pick of last year's draft and turned 20 in January, might be held out for the finale. In confirming that decision, the team cited right ankle injury management as the reason.
"What's really been interesting is when you watch him from the beginning of the year to now is how much better he's gotten," Denver coach Michael Malone said of Wembanyama earlier this month. "I mean, it's noticeable. He came in as a really talented player, but when you watch him now ... Pop's done a hell of a job building him up in one season."
Wembanyama, who played three professional seasons in France before coming to the NBA, appeared in 71 games with the Spurs, who enter the finale with a 21-60 record. That's tied with the Portland Trail Blazers for the worst record in the Western Conference.
He had 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and five 3-pointers in what was his last game as a rookie, a 121-120 victory over reigning NBA champion Denver. The Spurs rallied from 23 points down for their biggest comeback win of the season, and Wembanyama gave the ball a celebratory spike as time expired.
"As a growing team, a young team, it's big for us," Wembanyama said. "We're going to need these kind of wins in the future. We're going to need any win. But big-time wins against big teams, first seeds, we're going to need those in the future."
He became just the fourth player, and first rookie, to finish a season with at least 1,500 points, 250 assists and 250 blocked shots. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it five times, Hakeem Olajuwon did it twice and former Spurs great David Robinson did it twice. Nobody had done it since 1993-94, when Olajuwon and Robinson both had such a season.
Wembanyama won't suit up again for the Spurs until next fall, but fans will presumably see him play long before that. He's expected to be part of France's Olympic men's basketball team for the Paris Games this summer.
The Spurs haven't won a postseason series since reaching the Western Conference title round in 2017, and they will miss the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. They failed to advance out of the play-in tournament from the 10th spot in 2021 and again the following season.
However, Wembanyama has said many times that he feels the Spurs, who won their fifth and most recent NBA title a decade ago, are on the right path toward becoming a contender again. All of those championships have come under the direction of Popovich, 75, who is the NBA's longest-tenured coach and wrapping up his 28th season leading the team.
"We've got the potential to be great," Wembanyama said. "The fact that we have the chance to live this with the fans, I can only hope it's as incredible as it can be."