Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) - Frenchman Victor Wembanyama set a new record for blocks in an NBA playoff game on Monday with the 12 he set in his San Antonio Spurs' 104-102 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

First modification: 05/05/2026 - 05:59 Last modification: 05/05/2026 - 07:00

The previous best mark of 10 blocks was shared by three players: Mark Eaton (1985), Hakeem Olajuwon (1990) and Andrew Bynum (2012).

Wembanyama took over the record with his 11th block, deflecting a shot under the basket from Anthony Edwards, with eight minutes and 29 seconds remaining in this first game of the Western Conference semifinals.

The 2.24m tall giant completed an unusual triple double with his 11 points and 15 rebounds, in addition to dishing out 5 assists.

Wembanyama and compatriot Rudy Gobert quickly set the defensive tone after the opening tip at the Frost Bank Center, posting three straight blocks, two of them from the Spurs star.

In attack, however, Wemby was very unsuccessful with a series of 5-17 in field goals and 0-8 in triples.

"It's my responsibility, because obviously today I didn't feel good in my game and in those moments the team is going to look for me," said Wembanyama, self-critical of his offensive performance.

"Obviously we have to be better. We have to find out in the next 48 hours what we can do better. And I have no doubt that we will," he stressed.

The Frenchman, considered the player with the greatest potential in the NBA since LeBron James, competes in his first playoffs at the age of 22 after crowning an extraordinary season with the Defensive Player of the Year award, thanks to averages of 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks.

Beyond the playoffs, the record for blocks in a regular phase game is held by Elmore Smith with the 17 he set in 1973, the year the North American basketball league began recording this statistic.

© 2026 AFP

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