Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Victor Wembanyama started his California week brilliantly with a demonstration (40 points in 26 minutes) Tuesday on the floor of the very diminished Lakers, before playing his second All-Star Game in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 08:01

Faced with locals deprived of their stars, "Wemby" crushed their opponents, displaying rare technical and physical superiority from the first seconds of a match which turned into a demonstration for the San Antonio Spurs, winners 136-108. The Frenchman compiled 40 points (13 out of 20 shooting), including 37 during the break (!), 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 interceptions and 1 block in 26 minutes of play.

“No pity indeed, we were quite inconsistent against weaker teams or with absentees, I wanted to prove something to myself and prove to my team, that the big teams do not make the difference,” he explained in French with a smile at a press conference, after playing under the eyes of his parents.

The basket tortured by his dunks, the acrobatic passes of his teammates, the opposing defense transparent and animated with a gastropod intensity: the meeting had a little taste of the All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday in the Clippers' Intuit Dome.

Record first quarter

After a trip to San Francisco on Wednesday to face the Golden State Warriors, Wembanyama will return to the City of Angels on Thursday, where he will be able to enjoy a little free time for two days, before fulfilling his media obligations on Saturday then playing his second all-star game, his first as a "starter" for his 3rd NBA season.

Twenty-four hours after a defeat against the Thunder, the Lakers, deprived of Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Marcus Smart (right ankle), decided to sacrifice the match by resting Austin Reaves, LeBron James (foot), and Deandre Ayton (knee).

Without danger, "Wemby" launched into a solo game by starting the match in a dragster style, with 17 points in a little over 4 minutes, then 25 points at the end of the quarter, more than the entire Lakers team (20), its record over a period, the biggest total for a Spur in 30 years!

The 22-year-old Frenchman insisted during the next twelve minutes with a new slew of alley-oops and unstoppable dunks behind his giant double-steps (2.24 m), to reach 37 points at the break, a record in the NBA this season. “We must not let go of the accelerator,” he said.

Among the "five best in the world"

For Lakers coach JJ Redick, "Wemby" is "one of the five best players in the world", whose impact is felt "beyond the statistics", coming from "his defensive presence" in particular.

Obviously eager to increase the total despite the gap (84-55), Wembanyama played a lot during the 3rd quarter, without much success this time, except to reach 40 points thanks to a long shot (4/6 at three points), equaling his best score of the season. The tricolor, whose record is 50 points scored, did not return to the floor during the 4th quarter.

The Spurs continue their magnificent 2025-2026 exercise (2nd in the West, 37v-16d), but saw Stephon Castle go out during the 2nd quarter, hit in the pelvis in a heavy fall following a huge counter at altitude against Rui Hachimura.

After his demonstration, Wembanyama must find Luka Doncic as a teammate on Sunday during the All-Star Game in the "world" team, notably facing the "King" LeBron James in one of the two formations made up of Americans, for the inauguration of a new competition format.

At the start of the evening the Indiana Pacers created a surprise 137 to 134 on the floor of the New York Knicks after overtime thanks to 30 points from Pascal Siakam against 40 points from Jalen Brunson.

© 2026 AFP

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.