Victor Wembanyama isn't done taking from Oklahoma City just yet

Victor Wembanyama is one of the NBA's biggest bullies. That sucks for OKC because The Alien wants what they've had, and he doesn't mind going through them to get it. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be vying for his third consecutive MVP this season, but Wemby won't allow that. It's his turn to take over that award and so much more.

The shift to Wembanyama's world began last December when he led the Spurs in taking away the Thunder's mystique with three victories over then-defending champions within a two-week window. Oklahoma City stumbled after that as they grappled with the reality that they weren't as invincible as they previously thought.

Wembanyama already took the Thunder's mystique

Don't get it twisted; the Thunder were still a great team, so they won a bunch of games. However, they went from believing they could break the Warriors' 73-win record to catching Ls from teams like the Suns and Pacers in January. They had to fight to hold on to the number-one seed in the West until the very end of the year.

San Antonio couldn't overtake them in the standings, but that didn't stop them from snatching OKC's chain in the Western Conference Finals. The Silver and Black dethroned SGA and Co. as the West's premier team—beating them in a Game 7 on the Thunder's home floor. In 2026-27, the hits will keep coming, and they'll be much harder.

The NBA gave the Spurs a perfect chance to step on OKC's confidence

Oklahoma City lost 8 of 12 games to the Spurs last year from the regular season to the playoffs. They'll be incredibly motivated to re-establish some semblance of control in this rivalry on opening night in San Antonio. Unfortunately for them, Wembanyama will also be driven to stick a fork in those hopes for two reasons.

One is because he's smart enough to know that OKC is still the biggest threat in the West until someone else proves otherwise. Getting an early psychological advantage over them will only benefit the Spurs more down the road. Secondly, the Most Valuable Player award eluded him last season when he truly believed he deserved it. (He's right.)

Someone has to pay for that.

One might argue that eliminating them from the postseason was payback enough, but it was not. Plus, he obviously gets to make a statement on opening night against the reigning MVP, giving him an early edge in the new season's race. He's coming for that trophy, and it's hard to imagine him not winning it this time.

OKC was once talked about as if they'd be the team of the decade—the next dynasty. "Where are the Thunder ranked as an all-time team?" questions were being asked way too often for a squad that had only won a single title. Victor Wembanyama has silenced all of that nonsense, and he's not done bullying Oklahoma City and their superstar out of the spotlight.

That space belongs to him and the Spurs now.

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