"Michael Jordan.. Didn't Go To Finals Every Year": NBA Champion Has a Message for Victor Wembanyama

Some could say Victor Wembanyama reached the brightest stage too early in his career. At just 22, in his third season and first-ever postseason, he played a huge role in guiding the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals and was understandably emotional about it. But five games later, he had to endure a painful defeat as his side fell 4-1 to the New York Knicks. It was a disappointing end to a promising run, but one from which Wembanyama can truly learn.

Former NBA Champion Dwight Howard offered the French superstar some words of wisdom. And it wasn't consolation, but a bitter pill that Wembanyama may have to swallow.

"It's hard. I made it [to the Finals] when I was 22, and everyone was like 'you'll be back,'" Howard said. "But, it's not that easy to get to the Finals. I don't want people to think that just because you got there once, you can go back and get there every year.

The greatest player, Michael Jordan... he didn't go to the Finals every year of his career," Howard continued. "So it's very hard to get to the Finals and win."

Howard reminded Wemby that aside from having the right roster, remaining healthy is also a major factor. He concluded that it's all about going hard and having heart.

Dwight Howard reached the NBA Finals very early in his career. He led the Orlando Magic to a 59-23 record and the third seed in the Eastern Conference during the 2008-09 season. In the opening round, they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers before knocking off the second-seeded Boston Celtics in the Conference Semifinals. They then took down the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals to punch their ticket to the Finals. There, they faced the Los Angeles Lakers.

Led by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, who had helped the Lakers post a 65-win regular season, LA proved too strong for Howard and the Magic, defeating them in five games to capture the NBA title.

The next time Howard made the NBA Finals was in 2020, ironically, as a member of the Lakers. This time, he left with a ring. Based on that experience, he's the right person to tell Victor Wembanyama about the difficulties of returning to that stage.

Howard isn't saying Wembanyama will take that long to return to the Finals. Given how dominant he was this season, winning DPOY and Western Conference Finals MVP while averaging 29 points and 12 rebounds per game against the Thunder, Wembanyama clearly has the talent, mindset, and a young Spurs core around him to make it back with the right moves.

But what Howard is acknowledging is that getting there again won't be easy. Reaching the Finals is one thing; returning after a painful defeat is a completely different challenge.

Victor Wembanyama Knows a Finals Trip Is Not Easy

It wouldn't be entirely inaccurate to say that most things went the San Antonio Spurs' way, except when it truly mattered.

They ensured that the Oklahoma City Thunder would not repeat as NBA champions by defeating them in the Western Conference Finals, and at one point, they looked poised to win the title themselves.

Even as they lost to the New York Knicks, they had moments where they looked to be in perfect control. They led in every single game, and each lead was in the double digits. In Game 4, they led by as much as 29 points going into halftime.

Based on that performance, it's fair to expect the Spurs to be back in the Finals, especially with their core fully intact.

However, Victor Wembanyama knows that what they accomplished this past campaign carries no bearing toward actually returning to the Finals in the future. He acknowledged that in his postgame press conference following their Game 5 loss to the New York Knicks.

"What I'm p*ssed about is that there's probably a hundred games before we can be back in the NBA Finals," Wemby said. "I don't know how to say it in English, but I'm gonna have to hold that inside of me and slow down and execute for a hundred games."

Execution is one major lesson the Knicks taught the young San Antonio core in the Finals. When they had the lead, the Spurs failed to execute the right plays to keep it.