"It's very possible that he'll be the face of basketball. Not just NBA basketball, but world basketball," said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.

But beyond the final score, the game’s biggest talking point came when Spurs rising star Victor Wembanyama found himself on the receiving end of a hard shove from Clippers center Ivica Zubac. The moment led to a rare visible frustration from Wembanyama, who attempted to confront Zubac before being held back by teammates and coaches.

The story, as Buford tells it, goes like this: Claudio Crippa, an international scout for the Spurs, proposed going to see a youth game before checking out Doumbouya. Buford saw Wembanyama play for the first time that day. And the seeds for the Spurs’ new master plan were immediately planted.

If there was any fear about Victor Wembanyama's adjustment to the NBA, it had to do with his frame. Wembanyama is one of the NBA's tallest players at 7-foot-3, but he is very skinny for his height and will almost certainly bulk up with more time in San Antonio's strength and conditioning program.

Clippers center Ivica Zubac added 21 points and 22 rebounds in an intense battle with San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama as the Clippers rallied to beat the San Antonio Spurs 128-116 on Wednesday night.

The San Antonio Spurs superstar rookie Victor Wembanyama recently got into heated scuffle with the LA Clippers Ivica Zubac.