SAN ANTONIO -- Spurs star Victor Wembanyama resumed his custom of donning viral Halloween outfits by showing up Saturday at Frost Bank Center dressed as Geralt of Rivia from his favorite book series, "The Witcher."
"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 of Rivia serves as the protagonist, 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's chasing.
Wembanyama, 22, had temporarily paused his Halloween ritual last season because the Spurs didn't 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 fit.
The last time Wembanyama arrived at an NBA arena in a costume for Halloween was 2024, when he dressed as No-Face, a character from the Academy Award-winning animated film "Spirited Away." Wembanyama sported an all-black one-piece outfit and wore the character's trademark mask.
That night he had 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and five blocks at the Delta Center in Utah, marking the second time in his career he tallied at least five each in five statistical categories in a 106-88 win over the Jazz.
Wembanyama started his Halloween tradition in 2023 as a rookie, arriving at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix rocking a costume derived from the fictional supernatural creature Slender Man. Wembanyama racked up 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks that night in a 115-114 victory over the Suns.
Happy HalloWemby!
— NBA (@NBA) October 31, 2023
📺 Spurs/Suns, 10pm/et on TNT pic.twitter.com/ZCNU1f5oBh
WEMBY! 😱🎃 pic.twitter.com/biGipEqE6H
— NBA (@NBA) October 31, 2024
This Halloween marked Wembanyama's first time playing at his home arena, and a few of his teammates joined the fun. Point guard De'Aaron Fox and his family dressed as characters from the Disney film "Toy Story" while Keldon Johnson maintained his Halloween tradition of dressing as a cowboy for the holiday.
The day before Halloween, backup center Luke Kornet remained undecided about whether to dress up for the holiday.
"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."