Victor Wembanyama has new mentality on court after recent health scare: 'I'm not taking this for granted'

Victor Wembanyama wasn't just good during the San Antonio Spurs' 125-92 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. He was historic as his 40 points broke Hall of Famer George Gervin's previous franchise record for the most points scored in a season-opening game. 

Making Wembanyama's big night even more impressive is the fact that it was his first game since being shut down in February after it was discovered that he had deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder. Wembanyama, who was fully cleared to resume his NBA career last month, shared that that experience has changed his perspective on basketball and life in general. 

"[I was] much more in control of myself," Wembanyama told reporters after the game. "The mind, I'm not worried about [that] because I saw what it's like to be confronted with potentially losing a lot, whether it's your career or your health. So I'm not taking this for granted anymore. The body? I'm having more fun now that I'm not struggling to move as much. I know I still need to get better, and I'm still going to get better."

Victor Wembanyama might have just taken over the basketball world in the first game of the season

Brad Botkin

It's hard to imagine Wembanyama being much better than he was on Wednesday night. In addition to breaking Gervin's record, he also became the first player since the 1977-78 season to score 40 points while also tallying 15 rebounds, 3 blocks and 0 turnovers while shooting 70% from the field in a single game. 

In addition to his production, Wembanyama also did not commit a turnover, which was pointed out afterward by Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. 

While it was just the first game, Wembanyama said that the Spurs "needed to make a statement" on Wednesday night. It's safe to say that he and his teammates did just that. 

"We felt ready, and we felt like we wouldn't have any regret about things we should have worked on or things we should have done in the summer," Wembanyama said. "I was comfortable with the work we put in and with the preparation up to this point. Now all the dice are thrown in the Western Conference."