By Jared Weiss | The Athletic, 2026-02-20 11:00:57
德克萨斯州奥斯汀——一年前的今天，一切在这里戛然而止。正是在这里，圣安东尼奥马刺队宣布维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 的深静脉血栓将导致其 2025 赛季报销，这为联盟中最具前景的职业生涯蒙上了一层疑虑。
就在马刺队在一年前不得不开始没有他的奥斯汀年度之旅后，文班在周年纪念日这一天大获全胜。
“没有什么比背水一战更能激励你了，”在周四马刺队以 121-94 击败菲尼克斯太阳队后，文班亚马说道，“我不想把比赛视作理所应当，因为我亲眼见过它可能结束得多么突然。……在我看来，回首 365 天前，我似乎已经尽了最大努力去变得更好。我没有遗憾。”
通过逆境，他找到了目标，更清晰地理解了自己为何能在如此高水平的舞台上打球，以及如何在精神上鞭策自己登顶巅峰。围绕着 22 岁文班亚马的炒作始终集中在他非凡的身体天赋上。而血栓的出现揭示了这种天赋背后可能带来的后果。
他在康复过程中一直在寻找心理优势，他明白如果没有心理上的领先，身体优势将毫无用处。他的侵略性增强了，他对比赛的感觉也提高了。这一切都是为了达到他自己的预期。
“当我还是个孩子的时候，如果那个年轻的我看到现在的我在比赛中表现软弱，他一定不会感到自豪，”文班亚马说，“所以我正努力为那个‘年轻的文班’而奋斗。”
赛前，太阳队教练乔丹·奥特 (Jordan Ott) 回顾了球队在本赛季初期防守这位马刺球星的成功经验，并指出像他这样的伟大球员在一年中会不断进化。回看文班亚马职业生涯第三年的轨迹，他在全明星赛后展现出了更强的影响力和目标感。他已不再是 11 月份那个被太阳队侧翼封堵住的球员了。
他学会了迅速调整并更好地掌控比赛。他的队友们正与他更无缝地磨合。这支马刺队展现出的完整性，在一年之前看起来还像是南柯一梦。
“我们当然是为了夺冠而战，”根据《队报》记者马克西姆·欧宾 (Maxime Aubin) 的报道，文班亚马用法文说道，“历史表明，几乎总是常规赛的 1 号或 2 号种子能笑到最后。所以我们显然在那场竞争中。”
夺冠将是文班亚马复出之旅上的皇冠明珠，但这个赛季的定义不仅仅在于场上的表现，更在于他选择如何立身处世。
他对篮球伦理的思考塑造了联盟的现状。说他拯救了全明星赛并非强行叙事，他的同行们在未经提示的情况下对他赞誉有加。
他正在推动一场所有人都表示欢迎的变革。与此同时，联盟主席正考虑采取强硬手段来消除“摆烂”行为，并恢复公众对竞技产品真实性的信任。
有了文班亚马，马刺队目前位居西部第二，正处于七连胜之中，显然是夺冠热门。（Scott Wachter / Imagn Images）
你不用去质疑文班竞争心的真实性。关于他的职业生涯将走向何方，还有许多不确定性。但唯一的事实是，他每晚都会全力以赴拼杀到底。
“我认为这源于对自己诚实，对比赛诚实，”文班亚马说，“这就是我热爱的比赛。我努力不去把这一切视作理所应当。只要站在场上，我就想赢。”
这对文班来说并非新鲜想法。与一年前相比，不同之处在于他有多想摧毁对手。他不只是融入其中，他始终是球场上的引力中心，并已成为一股不可阻挡的力量。
“不管你是谁，”达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 说，“只要你穿着球衣站在他面前，他就想干掉你。”
一年时间可以改变很多事情。当赛季戛然而止时，文班亚马曾背水一战，这迫使他成长为今天大家看到的模样。他的球队正是这种成长的缩影：西部第二，七连胜，毫无疑问的竞争者。
他们还没停止进化，他也没有。但这次重返奥斯汀提醒了大家，他们已经走了多远，以及前方还有多长的路要走。伟大的代价总是比表面看上去更高，而这份投入正在产生回报。
“我对我目前的团队感到满意，对我作为球员的状态感到满意，因为还有很大的成长空间，”文班亚马说道，“但这是有趣的一年。非常艰难，但非常值得。”
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：On anniversary of blood clot, Victor Wembanyama reflects on journey back to basketball
On anniversary of blood clot, Victor Wembanyama reflects on journey back to basketball
AUSTIN, Texas — It all ended here a year ago, to the day. This was the place where the San Antonio Spurs announced Victor Wembanyama’s deep vein thrombosis would end his 2025 season, casting shadows of doubt on the most promising career in the league.
A year after the Spurs had to begin life without him in their annual visit to Austin, Wembanyama triumphed on the anniversary.
“There’s no better way to push you than when your back (is) against the wall,” Wembanyama said after the Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 121-94 on Thursday. “I’m not trying to take the game for granted, because I’ve seen that it can end very quickly. … In my opinion, looking back 365 days ago, it’s like I did everything I could have to get better. I have no regrets.”
Through adversity came purpose, a clearer understanding of why he plays basketball at such a high level, and how he can drive himself mentally to get to the top of the top. The hype around the 22-year-old Wembanyama has always centered around his remarkable physical gifts. Then the blood clot revealed the consequences of such gifts.
He spent his recovery journey searching for a mental edge, an understanding that the physical advantage would go nowhere without a mental advantage. His aggression ramped up, but his feel for the game improved as well. It all serves his desire to meet his own expectations.
“My younger self, when I was a kid, if he saw myself playing soft in any game, he wouldn’t be proud,” Wembanyama said. “So I’m trying to strive for the younger Vic.”
Before the game, Suns coach Jordan Ott reflected on his team’s success guarding the Spurs star early in the season, noting that great players like him evolve over the course of a year. Charting the path of Wembanyama’s third year in the league, he came out of the All-Star break with a greater sense of impact and purpose. He isn’t the same player who got stonewalled by the Suns wings back in November.
He has learned to adapt quickly and control the game better. His teammates are fitting around him more seamlessly. There is a completeness to this Spurs team that looked like a pipe dream a year ago.
“Of course we’re playing to win the title,” Wembanyama said in French, per L’Equipe’s Maxime Aubin. “History shows it’s almost always the No. 1 or No. 2 seeds from the regular season that win it all. So we’re clearly in that race.”
Winning the title would be a crown jewel for Wembanyama’s comeback campaign, but this season has become defined by how he chooses to carry himself as much as what he does on the floor.
His musings on basketball ethics have shaped the state of the league. It wasn’t a forced narrative to say he saved the All-Star game. His peers gave him the credit, unprompted.
He is driving a change that everyone is welcoming. It comes as the commissioner is considering going scorched earth to eliminate tanking and restore the public’s sense of trust in the authenticity of the product.
With Wembanyama the Spurs are second in the west, on a seven-game winning streak, and clearly a title contender. (Scott Wachter / Imagn Images)
You don’t have to question the legitimacy of Wemby’s competitiveness. There are many uncertainties about how his career will go. The one truth is that he will go down swinging every single night.
“I think it comes from honesty towards myself, honesty towards the game,” Wembanyama said. “That’s the game I love. I think I try not to take it for granted. I’m on that court, I’m trying to win.”
That isn’t a novel idea from Wemby. What looks different compared to one year ago is how much he is trying to destroy opponents. He isn’t just fitting in. He is the center of gravity on the court at all times and has become a force.
“It doesn’t matter who you are,” De’Aaron Fox said. “If you have a jersey on and you’re in front of him, he wants to kill.”
A lot can change in a year. Wembanyama had his back against the wall when his season ended abruptly, forcing him to become the man you see today. His team is a reflection of that growth: second in the West, on a seven-game winning streak, clearly a title contender.
They’re not done evolving. Neither is he. But this return to Austin was a reminder of just how far they’ve come and how far they have to go. The price of greatness is always greater than it appears. The investment is paying off.
“I feel good about where we are as a team, feel good where I am as a player, because there’s still so much more room to grow,” Wembanyama said. “But it was an interesting year. Very tough, but very much worth it.”
By Jared Weiss, via The Athletic