San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama says 'we're as fired up as it gets' for Game 4 of NBA Finals
Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs are looking to defy the odds and leave Madison Square Garden with another win over the New York Knicks to even the 2026 NBA Finals series.
"I'm looking forward to having fun," Wembanyama told ABC News' Rhiannon Ally in an interview on "Good Morning America." "I think it's too easy to forget that, maybe because it's the best basketball game in the world, but it's too easy to forget to have fun sometimes."
The Spurs entered Monday night's Game 3 down 0-2 against the Knicks. Their 115-111 statement win over the hometown team that moved the best-of-seven series to 2-1 included a dominant performance from the 22‑year‑old superstar as he led San Antonio with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists while playing a physical brand of basketball.
When asked whether playing in Madison Square Garden in front of a star-studded crowd of nearly 20,000 people actually fired him up, Wembanyama said yes.
"I mean, we're as fired up as it gets right now," he told ABC News. "We were really locked in, really focused."
He and his teammate Stephon Castle made history as the first pair of teammates age 22 or younger to each score 20 points or more in an NBA Finals game, according to ESPN. The Spurs are also the second‑youngest team ever to reach the NBA Finals.
Wembanyama called his grandmother following the Spurs first Finals win and told ABC News she said the team was "so elegant on the court," adding they "make it look easy."
"I told her, I assure her it's not easy," he said.
Wembanyama, who stands 7 feet, 4 inches tall, is competing in his first-ever NBA Finals matchup and even his opponents continue to marvel at his size and skills, including Knicks center Karl‑Anthony Towns.
"He's tall," Towns told ABC News. "I'm not used to looking up at somebody, so that's definitely something new. But he's very talented. He's a generational player. You haven't seen size and talent at that combo like that ever in NBA."
The 22-year-old France native was selected by the Spurs as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
As the Spurs prepare to even things up on Wednesday night, shooting guard Devin Vassell said despite some doubters, the team is staying motivated.
"Everybody said that we weren't going to be in this position, so whatever they got to say, it is what it is," the 25-year-old told ABC News. "But we'll just put a little, little battery in our back, and whatever else they got to say just keeps fueling us.
Away from the intensity of the court, Wembanyama was spotted spending some downtime sketching in Gramercy Park.
"It's hard, but it's very important to disconnect, and again, so easy to forget to do that, especially in the playoffs," he said.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown told ABC News a couple of the keys the team will focus on in Game 4.
"We do need to go out with a level of physicality, not sending them to the free throw line while starting the game off better," he said.
Towns added, "We got to win, as simple as that."
Game 4 between the Knicks and Spurs will be held at Madison Square Garden. The game tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday on ABC and ESPN, streaming on the ESPN App.
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