Spurs fans left holding breath after Victor Wembanyama’s scary soccer slip-up

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Victor Wembanyama is only 22 and he has already become the face of the San Antonio Spurs. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year just carried the franchise to its first NBA Finals since the Tim Duncan era, and the Spurs rewarded him this month with a massive five-year, $252 million extension.

Wemby could have pushed for a $303 million max contract, but he took less money to give the front office more room to build a championship roster around him. It mirrored what Tim Duncan did back in 2007.

But many on social media believed the French star took the blueprint from New York Knicks Jalen Brunson, who signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension with the Knicks, willingly sacrificing a staggering $113 million to keep New York flexible.

Now Wemby is in the offseason and during this time, he often joins random pickup soccer games. He grew up a Paris Saint-Germain fan and regularly visits local fields. This week, he surprised players by joining a game at a sports complex in Katy, Texas. The session went smoothly until a sudden slip on the turf scared Spurs fans on social media.

A viral video on X showed the 22-year-old's foot slide out when he tried to control a pass in the penalty box and his knee hit the turf. He immediately stood back up and continued playing.

— NBABase (@TheNBABase) July 27, 2026

But his fall left many on social media worried, seeing him risking his career for playing soccer in his leisure time. One viewer literally got angry and penned, “He should not be allowed to do allat, risking your career for some game of kickballhe should not be allowed to do allat, risking your career for some game of kickball”

Wembanyama has been sidelined by injuries before. A blood clot ended his sophomore season early, so any awkward fall this close to training camp adds to unnecessary tension.

He walked away from this slip completely fine and kept playing. Still, after a year featuring an NBA Finals run, a Defensive Player of the Year award, and a new max contract, San Antonio does not want to see him get sidelined for playing soccer.