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Ahead of the Spurs-76ers game, the NBA dropped two big announcements about Victor Wembanyama after San Antonio’s undefeated month of February.
Victor Wembanyama is one of the most impactful players in recent NBA memory, and in his third season with the San Antonio Spurs, his influence on both sides of the floor is impossible to ignore, as he was just named the league’s Player of the Month and Defensive Player of the Month for February in the Western Conference.
Per the NBA, Wembanyama of the Spurs and Derrick White of the Boston Celtics were both named the Defensive Players of the Month for their respective conferences. Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons was named the Player of the Month in the East for February.
“San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in February,” the NBA wrote in a statement.
Over the past month, Wembanyama averaged 22.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in 11 games, while San Antonio went undefeated, the only team to do so in February. He is the current favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, with -600 odds according to DraftKings.
Victor Wembanyama Wins NBA Player of the Month And Defensive Player of the Month In February
While Wembanyama’s statistics on offense were strong in February, putting up more than 22 points on nearly 50% shooting, his combined 5.3 steals and blocks, along with 11.3 rebounds in the 11 games, were the main reason he both took home the monthly award, and the Spurs didn’t lose a game in February.
Individually, Wembanyama had a staggering defensive rating of 97.8 last month, which was first in the league. The Spurs also had a 107.7 defensive rating in February, which was led by the franchise star, as they ranked third in the NBA and were just one point shy of the Celtics, who led the league last month. San Antonio is also third in defensive rating across the entire 2025-26 season, behind both Boston and the Pistons.
On offense, he had a 123.2 offensive rating, one of the highest in the NBA, while San Antonio was second in the league with a 121.9 rating.
The Spurs are also fourth in net rating, eighth in offensive rating, and third in defensive rating across the entire 2025-26 season.
In terms of the Player of the Month award, Donovan Clingan, Luka Dončić, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Nikola Jokić, and Kawhi Leonard were other nominees in the West. Wembanyama’s teammate, Stephon Castle, along with Kris Dunn, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, and Jabari Smith Jr. were the other nominees for the Defensive Player of the Month award in the Western Conference.
In what is also good news for the Spurs, rookie Dylan Harper also won the Rookie of the Month award in the West, beating out some of the other top first-year players for the honor.
Preview For Spurs’ Upcoming Game Against The Philadelphia 76ers
On the day of the news of both Wembanyama and Harper’s awards, San Antonio is set to face off against the Philadelphia 76ers on NBC in a nationally televised game on Tuesday.
The two teams battling for a top-four seed in their respective conferences have yet to play this year, and the season series was split 1-1 in 2024-25.
In the lead-up to the game, the Spurs have Mason Plumlee, David Jones Garcia, and Harrison Ingram listed on the injury report. Philadelphia will be without Joel Embiid, Paul George, Kelly Oubre, and Johni Broome for the game.
With Wembanyama averaging 23.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, one steal, and 2.9 blocks on 50.1% shooting this season in 46 games, the 76ers being without Embiid to attempt to stop him on the defensive end of the floor is good news for the Spurs.
However, Tyrese Maxey has been playing the best basketball of his career and can single-handedly eke out a win for Philly. Castle will likely be on his hip all night in hopes of taming the All-Star starter.
San Antonio’s game against Philadelphia will tipoff at 8 pm EST on NBC.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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