Victor Wembanyama has temporarily said goodbye to the home of the San Antonio Spurs, the Frost Bank Center, better known by its previous name, the AT&T Center.
On the night from Saturday to Sunday, the defeat of the Texan franchise against the Cleveland Cavaliers (101-117) marked the start of a long journey for the Frenchman and his teammates.
Because their enclosure is, like every year, requisitioned for several weeks for the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, a very famous festival in Texas which will take place from February 8 to 25.
Events are recurring in this hall, built in 2000 and which can accommodate up to 18,000 spectators in basketball format.
But rodeo nights, concerts or basketball games generally only last one evening, unlike the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.
This festival, created in 1950 and bringing together the vast majority of cowboys from the state, and even more widely from the southern United States, is very appreciated by Americans.
In 2022, more than 1.3 million people participated in the event.
Nine away matches in 20 days
But above all, this popular success forces the Spurs to hit the road every year for what is called the “Rodeo Road Trip”.
A tradition that Victor Wembanyama did not know about, who had to ask the question to understand this series of away matches.
However, he will have to get used to it, having spent many seasons in the Texan franchise.
In total, this journey of more than 13,000 km will last 20 days.
It will start with a trip to Miami, on the night of Wednesday February 7 to Thursday February 8, before matches against the Orlando Magic, the Brooklyn Nets, the Toronto Raptors, the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
All-Star Weekend in the middle
A program of nine meetings that is quite indigestible for Victor Wembanyama and his teammates, especially since the Frenchman will also participate in the Skills Challenge and the Rising Stars Challenge during the All-Star Weekend (February 16 to 18 in Indianapolis).
The Spurs will then meet their supporters on March 1, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, for a new enticing duel between the two candidates for the title of rookie of the year: the Frenchman and his pivot counterpart Chet Holmgren.
Also read “Both deserve it”: between Wembanyama and Holmgren, the race for the rookie title rages in the NBA
But how will Gregg Popovich's team emerge from this endless road trip?
This Sunday morning, after his team's defeat against Cleveland, the 40th of their season, the historic Spurs coach has already spoken about the fatigue of his players.
“We played three games in four days, three weekends in a row, and it’s starting to show.
We’re going to take a little rest and move on,” he said.
The many kilometers to be covered should not help.
The All-Star Break should be more useful, since only Victor Wembanyama will participate.