By Jason Jones | The Athletic, 2026-07-22 22:03:58
在同意签下一份巨额续约合同的几天后，维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 回顾了自己NBA生涯的过去三年。那些高光时刻，那些累累荣誉，以及最近一次让这份续约变得顺理成章的季后赛冲击。
无论在场上还是场外，他的篮球影响力都在持续增长。
7月10日，圣安东尼奥马刺队宣布，文班亚马已同意签下一份五年2.52亿美元的续约合同留队。该协议将从2027-28赛季开始生效，起薪为工资帽的25%——尽管文班亚马有资格获得一份占工资帽30%的超级顶薪合同。
在接受《The Athletic》的独家专访时，文班亚马分享了他对新合同如何帮助马刺在未来几年保持争冠窗口期的看法。在续约合同期内为马刺节省约5000万美元，是为了最大化保持争冠实力的机会，因为节省下来的薪金空间可以为球队在交易或签约球员时提供灵活性，从而增加或保持阵容深度。
随着斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 和迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 还处于新秀合同期，且未来可能面临涨薪，薪金数字在接下来的几年里将变得至关重要。
据《The Athletic》的约翰·霍林格 (John Hollinger) 报道，将文班亚马的合同控制在顶薪的25%，“还将允许马刺在2027年休赛期使用他们的非纳税中产特例，并保持在第一土豪线以下，否则，在不交易轮换球员的情况下，这是不可能实现的。”
“我们有一支优秀的球队，我们经历了一次非常棒的季后赛征程，常规赛也打得很好。但更棒、更伟大的是我们的潜力，”文班亚马在接受《NBA 2K27》采访时说道，当时他被宣布为这款热门游戏系列的封面球星之一。“当今NBA的现实是，球队的潜力往往因为薪金问题而无法完全兑现。我只想确保我们永远不会遇到这种情况。”
作为两届NBA全明星球员，文班亚马是2024年NBA年度最佳新秀，并在刚刚过去的赛季中成为首位全票当选的年度最佳防守球员。这位身高7英尺4英寸的全能战士在闯入他的首次NBA总决赛期间，场均砍下职业生涯新高的25分和11.5个篮板，并以场均3.1次盖帽领跑全联盟。文班亚马入选了年度最佳阵容第一阵容，并在NBA MVP评选中位列第三，仅次于俄克拉荷马城的谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 和丹佛的尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokić)。
虽然对荣誉来得如此之快心存感激，但文班亚马对此早有预料。
这位22岁的球员在法国职业联赛效力时就积累了辉煌的篮球履历，而他的球技也已成熟到让他跻身NBA顶尖行列的水平。他建立起了备受瞩目的名声，甚至在季后赛期间因为几次恶意犯规和一次被驱逐出场而扮演了“反派”角色。
登上《2K27》封面对他来说是一个“巨大的里程碑”，但就像其他荣誉一样，这也在他的意料之中。
“就像我职业生涯中的每一个成就一样，我希望它能来得更早一些，”他说。“一切都发生得非常快，但我并不满足，我希望它能更快。这绝对是一个巨大的里程碑，是一件好事。现在，这个目标已经达成了。”
凭借8英尺的臂展，文班亚马在球场上和游戏里都被视为某种“外挂”般的存在。他拥有后卫般的投篮和控球能力。他曾封盖过三分投篮。而且随着每一场比赛的进行，他的信心都在不断增强。
而他做得越多，围绕他的讨论也就越多。
“我看到了，也感受到了身边人的变化，”他说。“无论是球迷还是互动，甚至是黑粉，你知道这无处不在。但在精神上，这并没有给我带来负担；我只是在专注于我的职业生涯。
“我从记者和媒体那里听到的最多。但是，是的，这是随之而来的。我想这终归是一件好事。”
登上这款市面上最畅销的顶级篮球模拟游戏的封面，将让文班亚马在篮球迷以及那些可能不怎么关注篮球运动的游戏玩家中获得更多关注。
以吉尔杰斯-亚历山大为封面球星的《NBA 2K26》是去年销量第一的体育游戏，也是全平台销量第二的视频游戏，因此他很清楚随着篮球世界与流行文化的融合，自己影响力可能迎来的飙升。
文班亚马加入了由迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan)、沙奎尔·奥尼尔 (Shaquille O’Neal)、勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James)、科比·布莱恩特 (Kobe Bryant)、阿伦·艾弗森 (Allen Iverson) 和卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Dončić) 等人组成的2K封面球星行列。他在法国长大，曾和哥哥以及叔叔一起玩这款游戏。他温馨地回忆起《2K14》中加入欧洲联赛球队的那段时光。
“我知道这在文化上也意义非凡，”文班亚马说。“对我来说，很难意识到自己在篮球世界、在篮球的定义以及职业篮球中，正在占据越来越大的空间，拥有越来越多的版图。”
由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
查看原文：Victor Wembanyama takes another step toward being NBA's center of attention
Victor Wembanyama takes another step toward being NBA’s center of attention
Days after agreeing to a monster contract extension, Victor Wembanyama reminisced about the last three years of his NBA career. The highlights. The multiple accolades. The latest postseason push that helped make the extension an easy decision.
His basketball profile continues to grow on and off the court.
On July 10, the San Antonio Spurs announced that Wembanyama agreed to a five-year, $252 million extension to remain with the team. The deal begins with the 2027-28 season and starts at 25 percent of the salary cap — even though Wembanyama was eligible for a supermax deal worth 30 percent of the cap.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, Wembanyama offered his thoughts on how his new contract can help the Spurs maintain their championship-contending window for years to come. Saving the Spurs approximately $50 million over the life of his extension was about maximizing the opportunity to remain title contenders, as cap savings could allow the team flexibility in trades or to sign players to add to or maintain its depth.
With Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper on rookie deals and with potential raises coming, the cap number will be important in the next couple of years.
Per The Athletic’s John Hollinger, keeping Wembanyama at 25 percent of the max “would also allow the Spurs to use their nontaxpayer midlevel exception in the 2027 offseason and remain below the first apron, something that otherwise would have been impossible without trading a rotation piece.”
“We have a good team, we had a very good playoff run, and we had a very good regular season. But what’s even better and greater is our potential,” Wembanyama said during an interview for NBA 2K27, as he was announced as one of the cover athletes for the popular video game series. “The reality of today’s NBA is that often, the potential of teams is not fulfilled because of money. I just want to make sure it’s never our case.”
Wembanyama, a two-time NBA All-Star, was the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year and the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year winner this past season. The 7-foot-4 do-it-all player averaged career highs of 25 points and 11.5 rebounds and led the league with 3.1 blocks per game in reaching his first NBA Finals. Wembanyama received first-team All-NBA honors and finished third in NBA MVP voting behind Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver’s Nikola Jokić.
While appreciative of how quickly accomplishments come, Wembanyama expects them.
The 22-year-old has built a stellar basketball résumé playing professionally in France, and his game has matured into a level that puts him among the NBA’s elite. He’s built a reputation where he’s admired by many and even became a bit of a villain during the playoffs due to several flagrant fouls and an ejection.
Being on the 2K27 cover is considered a “big milestone” to him, but like the other accolades, it was anticipated.
“Just like every achievement in my career, I wish it happened sooner,” he said. “It’s all happening very quick, but I am not satisfied, and I want it to happen quicker. It’s definitely a big milestone, something good. That’s done.”
With an 8-foot wingspan, Wembanyama is seen — on the court and in gaming — as something of a cheat code. He has the shooting and ballhandling abilities of a guard. He’s blocked 3-point attempts. And with every game, his confidence grows.
And the more he does, the more people talk.
“I see it, and I feel it with people around me,” he said. “Whether it’s fans or interactions, even haters, you know it’s everywhere. But mentally, it’s not taking a toll on me; I’m just living my career.
“I hear it the most with journalists and media. But, yeah, it comes with it. I guess it’s only a good thing.”
Being on the cover of a premier basketball simulation game, one of the best-selling video games on the market, will draw more attention to Wembanyama among basketball fans and gamers who might not watch the sport closely.
NBA 2K26, which featured Gilgeous-Alexander as a cover athlete, was the No. 1-selling sports game last year and No. 2 overall video game, so he is aware of the potential ascension as the worlds of basketball and popular culture fuse.
Wembanyama joined a list of 2K cover athletes that also includes Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Luka Dončić. He played the game growing up with his brother and uncle in France. He fondly recalls the time EuroLeague teams were added to the game in 2K14.
“I know it means a lot culturally, too,” Wembanyama said. “It’s hard to realize for me that I’m taking more and more space, more real estate in the world of basketball, in what basketball means, in professional basketball.”
By Jason Jones, via The Athletic