LOOK: Victor Wembanyama injures ankle by stepping on ballboy during warmups, forced to sit out vs. Mavericks

The San Antonio Spurs would be at an enormous disadvantage against the Dallas Mavericks under basically any circumstances. The 4-23 Spurs have the worst record in the Western Conference, and only recently snapped an 18-game losing streak. For them to beat a playoff-caliber team like the Mavericks, basically everything needs to go right. Losing your best player before the game even starts hardly meets that criteria.

Alas, Victor Wembanyama, who was not on the injury report prior to San Antonio’s tilt with Dallas, was ultimately a late scratch due to an ankle injury. That injury did not come in a game or even practice. No, it came during warmups. The No. 1 overall pick and Rookie of the Year candidate stepped on the foot of a ballboy after making a layup as he prepared for the game. Out of caution, the Spurs ultimately decided to keep him out of the game.

As expected, Dallas won in convincing fashion, 144-119, dropping the Spurs to 4-24 on the year. In the postgame, head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters that Wembanyama would have played if the game was one of the postseason variety. When asked if he had ever had a player get injured during warmups, Pop said, “Never. And if you’d seen in on tape, you wouldn’t believe it.”

All things considered, Wembanyama has been quite durable so far this season. He had only missed two games as a rookie prior to Saturday. Despite fears that his lean 7-foot-4 frame would make him susceptible to injury against bigger NBA players, he has thus far more than held his own for the Spurs.

Sadly, bizarre injuries do happen from time to time. Last season, Kevin Durant suffered an ankle injury during warmups early in his tenure with the Phoenix Suns. That injury was not caused by a ballboy or anyone else, he just happened to twist his ankle while going up for a layup. The resultant injury kept him out for Phoenix’s next 10 games.

This injury for Wembaynama didn’t look nearly that severe, but the Spurs aren’t going to take chances with their prized rookie. They’re so far out of the playoff race that there’s no good reason for them to force the issue before they’ve had a chance to thoroughly evaluate the ankle. Still, losing any developmental time for Wembanyama under these circumstances is likely a major annoyance to the Spurs. Little has gone right for them this season aside from his play. Tonight, they won’t have him due to a little more than bad luck.