January 24, 2024

San Antonio Spurs Place Protocols To Keep Rookie Victor Wembanyama Healthy For NBA Season

One of rules states that no one from the Spurs staff is allowed to contact Wemby by phone after 9:30 p.m.

We often hear about habits or protocols set for athletes during their careers, whether in college or when they become professionals. There is one in place for San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama as he prepares for a long career in the NBA.

According to The Athletic, no one from the Spurs staff is allowed to contact Victor Wembanyama on his phone after 9:30 p.m. This is according to what the team’s Director of Basketball Communications, Jordan Howenstine, told the media outlet. “That’s when he reads for an hour,” Howenstine said. “Then he goes to sleep.”

This is part of the plan to ensure the 20-year-old rookie has a long and successful career in the NBA. Another thing that the team does to try to save Wembanyama from the rigors of the 82-game season is to limit his playing in back-to-back games. Although fans and the league frown upon load management for top players, the plan was incorporated so that the rookie would not participate in games that are played on consecutive days. In these instances, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and the medical staff have given the rookie the choice to play either the first or the second game. Wemby, as he is affectionately called, chose to do the latter.

Wemby does not play more than 30 minutes a game, another plan put in place by the Spurs. Before the limitation of 30 minutes, he was not allowed to get close to that time, but right after extending that time, he rolled his right ankle last month on Dec. 13. No major injury occurred, so he was still able to play. But, he stepped on a ball boy’s foot during warmups on Dec. 23 and missed the matchup and the next three games.

Yet, he’s back on the basketball court but has not played for more than 27 minutes in the last 12 games he participated in. But, now that half the season has been played, Wemby averages 19.8 points per game, 10.1 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.1 blocked shots.