Victor Wembanyama resumed his Halloween tradition on Saturday, arriving at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio dressed as Geralt of Rivia, the protagonist of “The Witcher” series, one of his favourite book series.
“Why is it my favorite? Because it feels as much like a fantasy book, epic fantasy, as a dive into human psychology and emotions,” Wembanyama said. “The characters are so deep. After reading seven books, it’s like I know these characters like they’re friends or family members. It’s a great, great series. My favorite.”
In the series, Geralt serves as a solitary hunter who travels and makes a living taking down monsters in a world where humans often prove to be more diabolical than the beasts he is chasing.
The 22-year-old had temporarily paused his Halloween ritual last season because the Spurs did not play a game on the holiday.
“We don’t got a game on Halloween,” he said last year. “So, we don’t get to see a costume this year, unfortunately.”
Clearly, Wembanyama was making up for lost time with this latest outfit.
Past Halloween costumes
The last time Wembanyama arrived at an NBA arena in a costume for Halloween was in 2024, when he dressed as No-Face, a character from the Academy Award-winning animated film “Spirited Away.” He wore an all-black one-piece outfit and the character’s trademark mask. That night he produced 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and five blocks at the Delta Center in Utah, marking the second time in his career that he recorded at least five in five statistical categories, as the Spurs claimed a 106-88 win over the Jazz.
Wembanyama started his Halloween tradition in 2023 as a rookie, arriving at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix in a costume derived from the fictional supernatural creature Slender Man. He racked up 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks that night in a 115-114 victory over the Suns.
Teammates join the fun
This Halloween marked Wembanyama’s first time playing at his home arena, and several of his teammates joined in. Point guard De’Aaron Fox and his family dressed as characters from the Disney film “Toy Story”, while Keldon Johnson maintained his tradition of dressing as a cowboy for the holiday.
The day before Halloween, backup centre Luke Kornet was still undecided about whether to dress up.
“I might be wearing a costume,” Kornet said. “If I am, I’m going to be Captain [Georg] von Trapp from “The Sound of Music” because my children love it, and we listen to the soundtrack a ton. I still need to find his little whistle. I can just wear a suit, basically, right? I don’t really invest too much into my outfits, but I want the whistle.”