Over two-and-a-half weeks have passed since the Spurs’ 2023-24 season came to an end, and while they only barely managed to match last season’s win total of 22, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t anything memorable about it. Quite the contrary, actually. In that spirit, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the most moments moments from the season. They could be entire games, certain plays, notable stat lines — really anything that will stick with us for a while, beginning with…

Early miniseries sweep in Phoenix

Similar to last season’s 5-2 start, the Spurs gave us a bit of false hope early with a 3-2 start (before the dreaded 18-game losing streak), which was capped off by consecutive wins at the home of a Phoenix Suns team that had championship aspirations behind a new big three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. The first game featured a huge rally by the Spurs who were still down by three late before a Victor Wembanyama putback slam with six seconds left, followed by a Keldon Johnson steal and layup in the backcourt to secure the 115-114 win on their only lead of the game.

The second game was almost a mirror image of the first, with the Spurs holding a double-digit lead most of the night before staving off a late Suns rally, but more importantly, it was Wemby’s “breakout” NBA game, showing the hype was real with 38 points and 10 rebounds in just his fifth career game.

The Alien vs. the Greek Freak

After the early success, it was all downhill for quite a while for the Spurs, but a turning point in the season overall was a tight 111-115 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in January. While it wasn’t a win, it was the game where Tre Jones finally returned to starting point guard, and the difference in the Spurs’ level of play was palpable. However, in the long term, the most memorable thing about that game will be the first matchup between two European unicorns in Wemby and Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the latter had himself a night with a dominant 44 points, the former held his own against the 2x MVP, including making a statement with one epic block that gave the Spurs a chance to force overtime.

Wemby’s historic triple-doubles

It’s nearly impossible to keep track of how many historic feats Wemby accomplished throughout his rookie season, but one big one was not just recording a triple-double, but two using different stats. The first came via assists, with a 16-12-10 stat line in a January blowout win at Detroit, and the other was a more rare type with blocks, going 27-14-10 in their one Rodeo Road Trip win in Toronto.

Devin Vassell’s behind-the-back pass

Speaking of that game in Toronto, it featured one of my favorite plays of the season, courtesy of Devin Vassell. As the ball was heading out of bounds on the sidelines, he jumped to save it with his back to the court, and in one fluid motion flung it behind his back to an open Wemby under the basket. Wemby was already shocked before he could even complete the formality of putting the ball in the basket, and the look he had while heading back up the court was priceless.

Wemby secures ROY with iconic block of Chet Holmgren

It was another rough Rodeo Road Trip for the young Spurs, and while the return home is always a relief, it didn’t look like a win would immediately be in the works with the rising Oklahoma City Thunder waiting. However, the Spurs stunned everyone with a strong team performance for the win, and Wemby all but secured the Rookie of the Year vote with a three and dad-block over his main opponent, Chet Holmgren, on consecutive plays.

OT win vs. Knicks

The post-RRT trip Spurs were a different team, and another time they showed it was against a Knicks team that was fighting for playoff seeding. It was yet another big Wemby game with a 40-20-7 (assist) stat line to help overcome 61 points from Jalen Brunson, but it still took a full team effort. It all came down to a wild fourth quarter with several lead changes and a thrilling OT, capped by Wemby throwing the ball into the stands for his first NBA fine.

Devonte’ Graham’s big moment

Maybe the most satisfying win of the season came in the penultimate game, when a depleted Spurs team stunned a healthy defending-champion Nuggets squad that was still fighting for the top seed. It seemed like it would be just another loss as they got down big early in the second half, but instead the Spurs staged an impressive second-half comeback sparked by 17 straight points from Wemby in the third quarter to get them back into the game.

Then, it was another wild final few minutes, capped off with a game-winning lay-up by Devonte’ Graham (a.k.a. Unc), who had patiently sat on the bench all season but was ready when called upon. It was a joy seeing his teammates so happy for him.

Tre Jones dunk on closing night

This might just be recency bias, but I couldn’t finish without mentioning Jones’ dunk in the Spurs’ blowout win of the Pistons to close the season. Both teams were playing skeleton crews, but that didn’t matter to the Spurs as the ran away with the game, and by the time Jones completed his only dunk of the season, everyone was having too much fun. His smile, the sheer joy from his teammates on the bench — I keep finding myself rewatching it and smiling even today, and it brings a level of happiness to sustain me while we optimistically wait another six months for a new season.