By Jared Weiss | The Athletic, 2026-04-02 11:01:20
旧金山——发现伟大并非易事。曾几何时，这种伟大就潜藏在金州勇士队的眼皮底下。斯蒂芬·库里 (Steph Curry) 与众不同。他身上缺乏许多那些一眼就能看出的、足以改变比赛的特质。但他需要的不仅仅是有人相信他，更需要有人理解他。
库里彻底改变了篮球，这或许是篮球运动经历的最近一次变革时刻。直到现在。
维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 正在改变现状。他以 NBA 仍在试图完全理解的方式缩小了球场的空间。他扭曲了比赛计划、技能组合和舒适区，这种影响力自库里崛起以来从未见过。仅仅进入联盟第三年，文班亚马就已经成为了下一次篮球革命的化身。
圣安东尼奥马刺队本赛季的任务不仅仅是在文班亚马身边打好球，而是去学习文班亚马，帮助他理解自己。
这段旅程，库里比任何人都清楚。
“这是一种自然的演进，在你的天赋和风格变得无可置疑之前，你无法真正强求，”库里告诉 The Athletic。“如果这能带来胜利，它就会变成一种集体的努力——解锁它，释放它，然后你就能提升身边的球员。所以这是一个双向的过程。”
不找到自己的声音，就无法发现伟大。这体现在不同的方面：在更衣室和球场上的发声，以及毫无疑虑地打出自己的比赛。这不仅是突破对失败的恐惧，更是信任自己的尝试。你敢于挑战自己，去做别人都没在做的事情吗？
胆识是推动伟大天才达到不可预见高度的燃料。
“之所以会这样，是因为没有了这些，你就不是你了，”库里说。“天赋和天赋异禀的身体素质只能让你走这么远。但他看起来比我当时——也就是在这个阶段——更敢于发声。显然，他是状元秀，所以他的轨迹和我早期发展的轨迹不同，但那种氛围是一样的。”
文班亚马从季前赛媒体日就开始塑造马刺队的特质。他宣布防守是不可商量的底线。没过多久，马刺就拥有了联盟顶级的防守之一。他宣布他们将成为一支季后赛球队；现在，在周三以 127-113 击败缺少了受伤库里的勇士队后，他们正在争夺 NBA 最佳战绩——目前战绩为 58 胜 18 负。
“一支球队围绕你建立起真正的特质，这可能比预想的要早，所以你会倾尽所有，”库里说。“就这一点而言，我相信当他走进更衣室时，他的精神会让每个人都相信他们能赢。这也很难得。”
哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 并不难相信这一点。他已经看到了变革的预兆。2015 年，巴恩斯是勇士队首个冠军阵容的一员。作为辅佐库里的侧翼，他当时就在琢磨如何在一个被射手重新定义的球场上拉开空间，而那个射手改变了我们对投篮的认知。现在，他在一个完全不同、但同样独特的球员身边做着同样的事情。
“这需要集体去认可，去给予空间，让维克托成长并发展成他想成为的任何类型的球员，”巴恩斯说。“我认为人们很容易试图将人分类，或者说：‘他们是这类球员还是那类球员？我们应该这样运行进攻吗？这个人必须服从吗？’但在整个赛季的过程中，他的比赛进化了。他改变了。他变得更加自信、坚定且具有侵略性。”
马刺队的管理层和教练组很早就预见到了这一切的雏形。当外界看到的是一套控卫拥堵、投射存疑的阵容时，他们看到的是一群特别适合文班亚马纵向空间威胁的持球者，以及果断、敢于投篮且防守稳定的侧翼。其结果就是，一个由还在摸索自己比赛风格的年轻人支撑起来的强大力量。
“嗯，他们自然而然就成了球队的框架。你会把其他所有人都安排在这样的球员身边，”勇士队主教练史蒂夫·科尔 (Steve Kerr) 说。“你围绕文班或库里建队，并尝试寻找能与他们互补的球员。他们就是体系。归根结底，这就是超级巨星之所以成为超级巨星的原因。他们太优秀了，以至于你会围绕他们来塑造球队。”
维克托·文班亚马在本赛季早些时候的一场比赛中防守斯蒂芬·库里。(Daniel Dunn / Imagn Images)
马刺队的关键在于，他们必须达到文班亚马的标准。他的队友们赞扬他的职业道德和坚持。人们好奇他是如何成为第一个能做到这些动作的 7.5 英尺（约 2.26 米）长人的。
好吧，他晚上 8:30 就上床睡觉。他竭尽所能确保身体状态良好。他在需要的时候关闭社交能量，将一切精力投入到成为最好的篮球运动员中。
然后，他走上赛场，释放这一切。这就是他设定的标准。这是一个改变一切的人所设定的标准。
“他拥有那些你显然无法教给别人或真正理解的特质，因为他是如此的独一无二，”库里说。“但最重要的是，从我所看到的来看——虽然我并不那么了解他——他的竞争精神和能量在球队中是极具感染力的。这不仅仅是他的天赋，还有他对待比赛的方式。”
文班亚马在周三砍下了 41 分和 18 个篮板，成为马刺队史首位连续两场砍下 40+ 分和 15+ 篮板的球员。没有像三分球或盖帽那样的限定条件来让这项统计数据契合文班的技能包。就是实打实地连续两晚砍下 40+15。不是蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan)，也不是大卫·罗宾逊 (David Robinson)，只有文班亚马。
他正在横扫那些较弱的对手，展示着他每晚都会保持的竞争心。
现在，他的目标是 MVP 奖项。当 The Athletic 告诉他，即使他今年没能获奖，到下个赛季这个奖项也将是他的囊中之物时，他说第一个总是最难的。他不想在奖杯如此接近时失去获得它的机会。
“我确实非常看重它，我认为所有入选名人堂的伟大球员，或者我们心目中史上最伟大的球员，他们在职业生涯早期都曾奋力争取并抓住了每一个能抓住的机会，”文班亚马在周三的比赛后告诉 ESPN 的斯科特·范佩尔特 (Scott Van Pelt)。“如果我想在伟大球员中占有一席之地，我就必须努力不错过任何机会。我必须让自己的名字榜上有名。”
也许是一年前血栓的阴影，在如今这个赛季的光芒下显得有些遥远。虽然这只是个开始，但这是在他不久前几乎失去一切的背景下发生的。
库里在职业生涯早期也经历过脚踝伤病的阻碍。他不像文班亚马那样是状元秀，他不是那个“天选之子”。他必须证明自己能留在场上，证明他的打法值得拥有空间和尊重。伟大源于对逆境的战胜，而那些早期的战斗塑造了最终的他。
“这取决于你如何应对。成功并不总是一条直线，”库里说。“所以，你如何对待失败，如何对待季后赛经验等等，将决定很多事情。因为大多数人并不能在第一次尝试时就获得成功。”
文班亚马整个赛季都对马刺队的夺冠愿望直言不讳。他承认他们没有冠军球队通常具备的那种经验。库里的勇士队在 2014 年马克·杰克逊 (Mark Jackson) 的执教下在季后赛首轮折戟，然后在接下来的赛季在科尔的带领下卷土重来，赢得了四座冠军奖杯中的第一座。俄克拉荷马城雷霆队在去年六月夺冠的前一年也打进了第二轮。
马刺队在去年夏天的选秀中拥有榜眼签。这毫无疑问是他们的第一次尝试。
虽然巴恩斯和卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 拥有冠军戒指，但圣安东尼奥冠军时期的残余在管理层中已所剩无几。马刺队拥有指引他们的记忆和故事，但这支球队目前正在书写属于自己的历史。
“我们没有经验，对吧？管它呢，”文班亚马告诉范佩尔特。“我是说，这就是我们所拥有的一切。我们不会仅仅因为现状如此就改变打球方式。我是说，我们仍将付出 100% 的努力去争取赢得这个冠军。管它呢。”
当马刺队本赛季达到 50 胜大关时，球员们开玩笑说，接下来的 17 年都会是这样，就像邓肯时代一样。但巴恩斯提醒道，追求卓越需要持久性，保持一致并不断建立良好的习惯是一项巨大的挑战，这使得联盟近十年来都没有出现过卫冕冠军。
文班亚马践行了每个人都推崇的冠军标准。他渴望变得伟大，这并不独特。但他应用和理解所学教训的能力却是特别的。他在这种身材下展现出的技术水平令人惊叹。他具备了一名定义时代球员的所有要素。
他会对失败做出积极回应吗？他能像库里一样在通往传奇的曲折道路上顺利前行吗？随着季后赛的到来，文班亚马终于将看到这一切是如何汇聚在一起的。
“谁知道结果会如何呢？”库里说。“但这是旅程中最重要的部分，你必须在实践中去摸索。”
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：Stephen Curry changed the game once. Now he sees it happening again in Victor Wembanyama
Stephen Curry changed the game once. Now he sees it happening again in Victor Wembanyama
SAN FRANCISCO — It’s not always easy to spot greatness. For a while, it was hiding in plain sight for the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry was different. He lacked many of the transformative traits that are easy to spot from far away. But he didn’t just need someone to believe in him. He needed someone to understand him.
Curry revolutionized basketball, perhaps the last transformative moment basketball has experienced. Until now.
Victor Wembanyama is changing things. He shrinks the court in ways the NBA is still trying to fully grasp. He distorts game plans, skill sets and comfort zones in ways not seen since Curry’s ascension. In just his third year, Wembanyama has already become the next basketball revolution.
The San Antonio Spurs’ task this season hasn’t been just to play well around Wembanyama. It was to learn Wembanyama. It was to help him understand himself.
That’s a journey Curry knows better than anyone.
“It’s just a natural progression that you can’t really force until your talent becomes so undeniable in your style,” Curry told The Athletic. “And if it leads to winning, it becomes like a collective effort, unlocking it, unleashing it, and then you being able to uplift players around you. So it’s a two-way street.”
You can’t find greatness without finding your voice. That manifests in different ways. There’s vocalizing in the locker room and on the floor. Then there is playing your game without doubt. Not just breaking through the fear of failure, but trusting your experimentation. Can you dare yourself to do what nobody else is doing?
Audacity is the fuel that propels great talents to unforeseen heights.
“That happens just because you’re not who you are without that,” Curry said. “Talent can only take you so far with God-given attributes. But he seems more vocal than I was at the time, like at this stage. And obviously, he’s the number one pick, so it’s a different trajectory than what I took in a little earlier development, but the same kind of vibe.”
Wembanyama shaped the Spurs’ identity from preseason media day. He declared that defense was non-negotiable. It wasn’t long until the Spurs had one of the league’s best defenses. He declared they would be a playoff team; now they’re in the hunt for the NBA’s best record — 58-18 after Wednesday’s 127-113 win against a Warriors team playing without the injured Curry.
“A team has a true identity built around you that might be ahead of schedule, and so you kind of throw everything you have at it,” Curry said. “To that point, his spirit, I’m sure, when he walks into that locker room, everybody has the belief that they can win. That’s hard to find, too.”
It’s not hard for Harrison Barnes to believe. He’s seen the warning signs of upheaval. Barnes was on the Warriors’ first championship team with Curry in 2015. He was the wing who complemented Curry, figuring out how to space a floor reconfigured by a shooter who changed our perception of shooting. Now he is doing the same with a completely different, yet comparably distinct player.
“It takes a collective to recognize that, to be able to give space, allow Victor to grow and develop into whatever type of player he wants to be,” Barnes said. “I think it’s easy to try to sometimes pigeonhole people or say, ‘Are they this player or that player? Should we run our offense this way? Does this person have to conform?’ But I think over the course of the season, his game has evolved. He’s changed. He’s become more confident, assertive (and) aggressive.”
The Spurs’ front office and coaching staff had an idea of what this thing could become early on. While the outside world saw a roster with a point guard logjam and questionable shooting, they saw a collective of ballhandlers particularly suited for Wembanyama’s vertical spacing with decisive wings who would shoot unabashedly and defend consistently. The result is a juggernaut propped up by a guy just figuring out his game.
“Well, they kind of just automatically become the framework. You put everybody else around guys like that,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “You build your team around Wemby or Steph, and you try to find players who complement them. They are the system. When it comes down to it, that’s what makes superstar players who they are. They’re so good that you shape your team around them.”
Victor Wembanyama defends Steph Curry in a game earlier this season. (Daniel Dunn / Imagn Images)
The key for the Spurs is that they have to live up to Wembanyama’s standards. His teammates praise his work ethic and persistence. People wonder how he’s become the first 7-and-a-half-footer to do what he does.
Well, he goes to bed at 8:30 p.m.. He does whatever he can to make sure his body is right. He shuts off his social battery when he needs to, whatever directs energy into being the best basketball player he can be.
Then he goes out there and unleashes all of it. That’s the standard he has set. That’s the standard of someone who changes everything.
“He’s got attributes that, obviously, you can’t teach or truly understand because he’s such a one of one,” Curry said. “But I think most of all, from what I see, I don’t know him like that, but his competitive spirit and his energy is contagious in there. It’s not just his talent; it’s the way he approaches it too.”
Wembanyama finished with 41 points and 18 rebounds on Wednesday, becoming the first Spur to post back-to-back 40-point, 15-rebound games. No qualifiers like 3-pointers or blocks to make the stat neatly fit Wemby’s skill set. Just straight up dropping 40 and 15 on consecutive nights. Not Tim Duncan. Not David Robinson. Just Victor Wembanyama.
He’s torching the easy opponents, showing how competitive he is going to be night in, night out.
Now his fixation is the MVP award. When The Athletic told him that even if he doesn’t win it this year, it will be his to lose by next season, he said the first one is the hardest. He didn’t want to lose the opportunity to get the trophy when it is so close.
“I do care deeply about it, and I think that all the greats that are in the Hall of Fame, or that are in our mind the best of all time, they have fought and grabbed everything they could grab early on in their career,” Wembanyama told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt after Wednesday’s game. “If I want to make my spot among the greats, I gotta try to not miss any occasion. I have to put my name up there.”
Maybe it’s the memory of the blood clot a year ago that feels like a faint memory in light of his season. Though this is just the beginning, it comes in the context of everything he almost lost not too long ago.
Curry went through his own obstacles with ankle injuries early in his career. He wasn’t the top pick like Wembanyama. He wasn’t a chosen one. He had to prove he could stay on the floor and prove that his game deserved its space and respect. Greatness comes through triumph over adversity, and those early battles shaped who he eventually became.
“It’s just how you deal with it. It’s not always going to be a straight line,” Curry said. “So how you deal with failure and how you deal with playoff experience and all of that, is going to define a lot. Because most people don’t get it done on their first try.”
Wembanyama has been transparent about the Spurs’ title hopes all season. He acknowledges they do not have the kind of experience champions usually have. Curry’s Warriors lost in the first round of the 2014 playoffs under Mark Jackson, then came back the next season under Kerr and won the first of four titles. The Oklahoma City Thunder made the second round a year before they won the title last June.
The Spurs had the second pick in the draft last summer. This is unmistakably their first try.
While Barnes and Luke Kornet have rings, few remnants remain within the front office of San Antonio’s championship years. The Spurs have memories and tales to guide them, but this is a team currently forging its own history.
“We don’t have experience, right? Screw it,” Wembanyama told Van Pelt. “I mean, that’s all we got. We’re not going to play any different way just because it is this way. I mean, we’re still going to play 100 percent and go to try to win this championship. Screw it.”
When the Spurs reached the 50-win mark this season, players joked that now it’ll be 17 more years of this, just like the Duncan era. But Barnes cautioned that the pursuit of excellence requires longevity, that consistency and continuously building good habits is the great challenge that has kept the league repeat-champion-free for nearly a decade now.
Wembanyama has exemplified the championship standards everyone espouses. He is not unique in his desire to be great. But his ability to apply and understand the lessons he’s learned is special. His skill set in his frame is remarkable. He has all the ingredients of an era-defining player.
Will he respond well to failure? Will he navigate the winding path to becoming legendary as well as Curry? As the playoffs arrive, Wembanyama will finally get to see how it all comes together.
“Who knows how it shakes out?” Curry said. “But it’s the biggest part of the journey that you have to figure out on the fly.”
By Jared Weiss, via The Athletic