SAN ANTONIO — Ahead of Friday night's San Antonio Spurs matchup against the Denver Nuggets, Victor Wembanyama stood at center court, receiving his Rookie of the Month Award.
It marked his Rookie of the Month honor, making him the first Spur since Tim Duncan to capture the award three months in a row.
But for the rookie phenom, he believes the award reflects the team's improvement.
"It's just realizing all the team effort when we look way better than from the beginning of the season," he said.
Wemby took home the award for his play in March.
He appeared in 12 games (all starts) for the Spurs in March, averaging 21.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, a league-leading 3.83 blocks, and 1.17 steals in 31.7 minutes. He led all rookies in the month's scoring, rebounding, and blocks.
The month also included five 30-plus-point games from Wembanyama, the most for a rookie in a calendar month since LeBron James in December 2003.
However, he understands that the personal accolades are still more about the team than him.
He puts it into perspective that any awards in his career will center around a winning Spurs team.
"Of course, these [awards] are going to come when we become the team we're going to become," he said.
Wembanyama's NBA career is just beginning, and if his rookie season is any indication, his award shelf will likely become an award warehouse.
There will likely be many All-Star nods, Player of the Month Awards, Defensive Player of the Year Awards, and countless other personal accolades ahead of him.
He values every recognition he will receive as his pro career unfolds, including the inevitable 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
"These are going to be on my way," he said. "It's another milestone and these things are important to me."