Victor Wembanyama Finds New Opponents After Knicks Game

Denied a victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Victor Wembanyama made it clear that he wasn’t leaving Manhattan without at least one win.

Wembanyama made his annual tour of New York this week, as his San Antonio Spurs faced the Knicks on Wednesday at MSG before taking on the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center two nights later. Despite scoring 42 points against the Knicks, it wasn’t enough to avoid a dire 117-114 defeat, though San Antonio did take a 96-87 decision from the Nets.

That apparently wasn’t enough to satisfy Wembanyama, who offered an intriguing challenge to his 369,000-plus followers on X.

“Who wants to meet me at the (southwest) corner of Washington Square Park to play chess?” Wembanyama asked. “I’m there.”

Located in Lower Manhattan, the Washington Square Park landmark is renowned for its chess tables that attract players of all skill levels. Despite overcast skies in the tri-state area, there was no raining on Wembanyama’s parade, as many came out to witness the San Antonio master at work.

Per Molly Morrison of Bleacher Report, local professionals bested the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year but he was able to beat his brother in a showdown. Wembanyama told Morrison that he had “a lot of fun and that he “learned a lot.” Back on X, he posted a photo with his adoring public and sought to take things further among his NBA brethren, suggesting a chess tournament with proceeds from the event going to the charity of the winner’s choice.

Wembanyama will face the Knicks again when they visit Frost Banker Center in March. In the meantime, he and the Spurs (16-15) face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night (8 p.m. ET, FanDuel Sports Southwest).

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