Will 65-game rule cost Victor Wembanyama? How injury could affect NBA awards

Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAYTue, April 7, 2026 at 12:02 PM UTC

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Will 65-game rule cost Victor Wembanyama? How injury could affect NBA awards

Is the 65-game rule going to claim another NBA star’s eligibility for individual awards?

In the case of San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama, it’s a case of wait-and-see.

Wembanyama missed the entire second half of San Antonio’s game Monday, April 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers – an eventual 115-102 Spurs victory – with a left rib contusion.

After the game, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson told reporters that he did not know the status or severity of Wembanyama’s injury.

“I think it would be a positive that he felt he could play the last four-to-five minutes of the half,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson told reporters after the game. “That’s a positive from my perspective, but I have nothing (on his future status).”

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Presumably, Wembanyama will undergo testing and imaging Tuesday, April 7, at which point the Spurs will be able to diagnose the issue, though Johnson didn’t have an answer for the timeline on that, either. Monday night’s game against the Sixers was the first game of a four-game homestand, which facilitates the process.

“At halftime, I was told he wasn’t coming back, and honest to God, I haven’t heard anything else at this point,” Johnson added.

Wembanyama appeared to suffer the injury in the second quarter, after he collided near mid-court with 76ers forward Paul George. Wembanyama went down and immediately favored his side. He would go into the locker room briefly, but returned to finish the half.

Later in the second quarter, with 2:56 left to play in the half, Wembanyama made a layup and bumped into Spurs forward Keldon Johnson as he landed. Wembanyama immediately grimaced and labored through the free throw.

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What does Victor Wembanyama’s injury mean for his MVP and DPoY eligibility?

In short: Wembanyama needs to appear in at least one of San Antonio’s remaining three games, and he needs to play at least 20 minutes to meet the 65-game threshold required for individual awards eligibility.

Technically, and even though he played just 15:40 against the 76ers, Wembanyama officially played his 63rd game of the season. The 65-game rule stipulates that a player needs to play at least 20 minutes in each game to be eligible, but the NBA has two “near-miss” exceptions for when a player records between 15 and 20 minutes in a game. Monday night will go down as Wembanyama’s second exception, after he played just 17:18 in a December 18 victory over the Washington Wizards.

In addition, and even though the stats from the NBA Cup Championship do not count to his season totals, Wembanyama’s participation in the final does count toward the 65-game rule.

All of which puts him at 64 games for this season and necessitates that final 20-minute performance.

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San Antonio Spurs schedule -

Wednesday, April 8: vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Friday, April 10: vs. Dallas Mavericks

Sunday, April 12: vs. Denver Nuggets

What does Victor Wembanyama’s injury mean for the Spurs?

Without knowing the severity of the injury, this is tough to project. Wembanyama, however, is one of the Top 5 players in the world, so any time missed is a blow.

His dominance on defense completely changes the way opponents can attack San Antonio. His length and versatility on offense make him a singular, three-level scorer.

All that said, the Spurs are a deep and talented team, one that is well positioned to weather a short-term absence; San Antonio went 11-5 in games this season that Wembanyama missed.

Backup Luke Kornet would presumably start in Wembanyama’s place, and even more responsibility would be placed on guards Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Victor Wembanyama injury affect NBA MVP, DPOY race, Spurs season?

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