Spurs get a sigh of relief after Wemby’s left knee MRI shows no ligament tear

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The San Antonio Spurs avoided disaster after Victor Wembanyama’s magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, on his left knee showed no ligament damage, confirmed Jan. 2, 2026.

During San Antonio’s hard-fought 134-132 victory over the New York Knicks, the 21-year-old superstar exited the game with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter after landing awkwardly while battling for a rebound.

Wembanyama did not return to the game and was kept in the team’s locker room, finishing with 31 points, 13 rebounds and a block.

Initial reports indicated that Wembanyama sustained a hyperextended left knee, but concerns about a torn ligament raised alarm throughout the Spurs organization.

A day after the injury, the MRI revealed no minor or major structural damage to any of the knee’s three major ligaments, but Wembanyama will have to sit out a number of games before receiving clearance to return.

This is the second injury Wembanyama has dealt with in the ongoing NBA regular season, after he missed 12 games beginning Nov. 14, 2025, due to a left calf strain.

Aside from the strain, the Spurs took a prolonged precautionary approach before bringing Wembanyama back due to concerns about the injury, which has been linked to Achilles ruptures involving Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton last year.

Wembanyama is having the best start of his NBA career, averaging 24.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.9 blocks in 21 games.

He helped San Antonio open the season with an undefeated 5-0 start last October, highlighted by a 40-point performance against the Dallas Mavericks.

San Antonio is on track to keep its playoff hopes alive as it sits at No. 2 in the Western Conference with a 24-9 record, five games behind the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.