Victor Wembanyama spent his last day off before his fourth NBA season at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, the sprawling theme park practically in the Spurs' backyard.
Unlike most other thrill seekers who passed through the gates Sunday, Wembanyama steered clear of the roller coasters altogether.
"I couldn't pass the height requirement," the 7-foot-4 Frenchman joked.
Wembanyama's amusement park outing offered a fitting metaphor for the ride the Spurs are about to embark upon, beginning with Tuesday's regular-season opener against archrival Oklahoma City at the Frost Bank Center.
Wembanyama on taking the crew out to Six Flags for Fright Fest https://t.co/79A8i4hG3H
- Spurs Nation (@Spurs_Nation) October 19, 2026
When the Spurs take the floor for their first meaningful contest since Game 5 of last summer's ill-fated NBA Finals against New York, they will do so with their sights set sky high.
And their feet planted firmly on the ground.
"What we did last year doesn't matter at this point," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "We're all at the bottom of the mountain, all 30 teams trying to start our journey."
A year ago, the Spurs headed to Dallas for a season opener with no real way of knowing just how high they might climb.
At the time, their most pressing ambition was a modest one: end a six-year playoff drought that had stretched to a club-record length.
A 62-win campaign? That felt like a pipe dream.
Beating the defending champion Thunder eight times in a whopping 12 meetings, including seven white-knuckle games of the Western Conference finals? Forget about it.
An NBA Finals berth? Not a chance.
After accomplishing all of the above last season, and surprising even themselves along the way, the Spurs harbor little doubt now about all that is possible.
"We know how good we are," guard Stephon Castle said. "We know the standard that we have to play at."
"We've got higher expectations for sure," Wembanyama echoed.
It is fitting the Spurs' next journey begins against Oklahoma City.
After all, it was the Thunder who taught the Spurs last season how good they could be.
In the span of 12 head-spinning days of December, the Spurs knocked off Oklahoma City three times, twice by double figures.
Those victories did more than pad the standings. They convinced the Spurs they belonged among the NBA's upper crust.
"After that," guard Dylan Harper said, "everybody knew we were serious."
A Game 7 victory on the road against the Thunder in the Western Conference finals confirmed what those December upsets had suggested. The Spurs were good enough to play for an NBA championship, right now.
The Oklahoma City squad that visits the Frost Bank Center on Tuesday will look similar to the one the Spurs dispatched in May.
Oklahoma City shed role players Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe in a round of cost-cutting moves, but the championship core of its 2025 NBA championship team remains largely intact.
Two-time NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is back to lead the attack. So is 7-foot-1 forward Chet Holmgren, fresh off an All-NBA season and eager to put his postseason demons behind him.
The Thunder should be an even tougher test than they were in May, with All-Star forward Jalen Williams and sixth man extraordinaire Ajay Mitchell back to full strength after missing portions of the conference finals with injuries.
"Fundamentally, we are still the Oklahoma City Thunder," said guard Alex Caruso, whose team was the only one in the NBA to finish the regular season with more wins than the Spurs. "We want to be the same kind of team and have the same principles and play the same way."
The Spurs, meanwhile, return their top 10 scorers from last season's Finals roster. The most notable newcomer, veteran forward Tobias Harris, is slated to miss Tuesday's opener recovering from a left calf strain.
Steph Castle on what to expect from Thunder https://t.co/gAQ06PePTi
- Spurs Nation (@Spurs_Nation) October 19, 2026
To a man, the Spurs are salivating at the prospect of lifting the curtain on a new season against a team shaping up to be their stiffest Western Conference rival.
No easing into things. No feeling-out process against a lesser opponent. Just a nationally televised heavyweight showdown right out of the gate.
"We wouldn't want it any other way," forward Keldon Johnson said.
"Obviously we have our history with them," forward Devin Vassell said. "They bring the best out of us, and we bring the best out of them."
"Love it," forward Julian Champagnie said. "Why not? The two best teams in the West. They want. We want it. Let's play."
For the 22-year-old Wembanyama, the next stop in the ride might be the stratosphere. The Spurs' run to last season's Finals gilded Wembanyama as a top-5 player in the NBA.
After winning a unanimous Defensive Player of the Year award to go with All-NBA honors a season ago, Wembanyama has his sights set on an MVP trophy that went to Gilgeous-Alexander the past two years.
Wembanyama says he has gained an appreciation for Gilgeous-Alexander's sustained excellence, even as he aims to snatch the Michael Jordan trophy from the OKC guard's grasp.
"I've now seen firsthand what it feels like to play until June, to play in the Finals, to play nine-plus months at NBA-basketball intensity," Wembanyama said. "I wonder how these guys do it for 10, 15 years. … It's maybe the most impressive thing about great NBA players."
Wembanyama and the Spurs know the ride won't always be smooth.
Last season's Finals chase proved how high they can rise. The five-game loss to New York in the championship round reminded them how far they still have to go.
Tuesday, the ascent begins anew against an all-too-familiar foe.
Buckle up. It's no kiddie coaster this time.
"We know what's ahead of us," Champagnie said. "We know what's at stake. We know what we want to do as a team. I think we're ready."
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There’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Wembanyama, Spurs face Thunder in heavyweight season opener.