Spurs news: What Victor Wembanyama must do to become eligible for awards after rib injury

The San Antonio Spurs are now up to 60-19 for the season after beating the Philadelphia 76ers 115-102. However, the game also saw Victor Wembanyama suffer a rib injury which has put a slight question mark over whether he will be eligible for the individual awards at the end of the season.

Seen as one of the firm favorites for multiple awards including the MVP and the DPOY this year, Wemby left the court in the first half before returning to pass the 15-minute threshold before sitting out of the rest of the game. The French phenom will now have to play 20+ minutes in at least one of the remaining three games for the Spurs in the regular season, per a post on X by NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin.

The injury occurred in the second quarter after contact with Paul George. He still logged over 15 minutes (15:40), finishing with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 7-of-11 shooting, which is critical because it qualifies as a “near-miss” game under NBA rules.

Under the league’s 65-game eligibility rule, Wembanyama is now effectively at 64 qualifying games, factoring in two key provisions. First, the NBA allows two exceptions for games where a player logs between 15–20 minutes, and Monday’s game marked his second such exception.

Second, while the NBA Cup Championship does not count toward official stat totals, it does count toward award eligibility, further boosting his total. As a result, Wembanyama needs to appear in at least one of the Spurs’ remaining three games and play a minimum of 20 minutes to officially reach the 65-game threshold required for postseason awards.

Of course, Mitch Johnson will be more concerned about Wemby’s immediate and postseason availability. The Spurs are yet to provide a timeline although the issue is not expected to lead to him missing time in the playoffs.

The Spurs now have three home games to see off. They will first take on the Portland Trail Blazers before hosting the likes of the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets.

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