Spurs present Victor Wembanyama with Rookie of the Year trophy at San Antonio College planetarium

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs presented Victor Wembanyama with the NBA Rookie of the Year trophy on Saturday at the planetarium on the campus of San Antonio College — an appropriate venue, perhaps, for a player nicknamed “The Alien.”

The 7-foot-3 center from France was a unanimous selection, the sixth player in league history to receive every first-place vote for an award that's been handed out since 1953. He joined Houston’s Ralph Sampson (1984), the Spurs' David Robinson (1990), the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin (2011), Portland’s Damian Lillard (2013) and Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns (2016).

He is the third San Antonio player to win the award, following Robinson and Tim Duncan (1998).

The Spurs finished 22-60 this season, matching their record in 2022-23, but there is plenty of optimism for the future after Wembanyama lived up to his potential as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

“Of course, I want to win as soon as possible, and I want the team results to be there, but I didn’t expect to be champions in my first year,” Wembanyama said. “This is one of the representations of our progression throughout the year and the efforts we all made on the court.”

Wembanyama became the only rookie in league history to average at least 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.

“You’ve represented the Spurs, you’ve represented yourself, you’ve represented France, everybody,” Robinson said in a tribute video. “Great job. I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

After tying a league record with 22 straight postseason appearances from 1998 to 2019 under Robinson and Duncan, San Antonio has missed the playoffs in five straight seasons. But Wembanyama feels fortunate to play for a franchise that has won five NBA titles and has one of the league's most respected coaches in Gregg Popovich.

“What I know is that there is a difference between us, the Spurs, the way we play and 90 percent of the teams in the league,” Wembanyama said. “I feel like we involve all players on the court. We have this will to share the ball and I can see that the coaches have this will to keep developing that and not become an iso-ball team, for example. I’m glad this is something that the Spurs have done for years.”

After receiving the award, Wembanyama stuck around with a group of children to watch a presentation on dark matter.

“I like these kinds of questions,” Wembanyama said. “Dark matter is a mass we can’t see, but we know it’s there because it’s got influence on gravitational pulls and the speed of gravitational orbits in every galaxy. Its presence inside galaxies is five times higher than regular seeable matter, so it’s a huge mystery. We can’t see it. We can’t observe it, but we can observe its influence. This is dark matter. Very sci-fi.”

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San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year trophy sits on table during an NBA basketball press conference, Saturday, May 11, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama speaks after receiving his 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year trophy during an NBA basketball news conference, Saturday, May 11, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama speaks after receiving his 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year trophy during an NBA basketball news conference, Saturday, May 11, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, center, watches videos with local children before receiving his 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year trophy, Saturday, May 11, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, left, greets fans before receiving his 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year trophy during an NBA basketball news conference, Saturday, May 11, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama speaks to media after receiving his 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year trophy during an NBA basketball news conference, Saturday, May 11, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Lauren Coughlin held onto the lead Friday in the CPKC Women’s Open, while Canadian star Brooke Henderson was derailed by closing bogeys at windy and smokey Earl Grey Golf Club.

Coughlin followed her opening 4-under 68 on Thursday in chilly and windy conditions with a 70 on Friday to get to 6 under, a stroke ahead of Hannah Green and Haeran Ryu. The temperature made it into the 70s after barely climbing into the 60s on Thursday.

“I think I handled it really well overall,” Coughlin said. “It was just really difficult to judge how far the ball was going to go with the wind and the crosswind and how firm the greens got. And they had some tough pins, especially considering the direction of the wind.”

Playing through a smokey haze from wildfires, Henderson bogeyed the final four holes in her afternoon round for a 73 that left her seven strokes back at 1 over. She won the 2018 tournament.

Coughlin is coming off a fourth-place finish two weeks ago in France in the major Evian Champions. The 31-year-old former University of Virginia player is winless on the LPGA Tour.

On Friday, she had three front-none birdies and dropped a stroke on the par-4 11th. In two rounds, she's 7 under on the first nine holes and 1 over on the second nine.

“I putted extremely well,” Coughlin said. “Two-putted really well all day. Took advantage of the front nine, which you have to, and then kind of hold on on the back nine.”

Green matched Coughlin with a 70. The Australian is a two-time winner this year, taking the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore in February and the JM Eagle LA Championship in April.

“It was tough again out there,” Green said. “There was some pretty strong wind gusts, especially our last few holes, so committing to the shot you were envisioning was kind of difficult.”

Ryu bogeyed the 18th for 69.

“The weather is really bad,” Ryu said. “Is a little bit cold and so windy.”

The 23-year-old South Korean player won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship last year for her first LPGA Tour title. She was second last week in Ohio in the Dana Open.

Three-time champion Lydia Ko had a 71 to join second-ranked Lilia Vu (70) and Jennifer Kupcho (72) at 3 under. Ko won as an amateur in 2012 at age 15, successfully defended her title as an amateur in 2013 and won as a professional in 2015.

“It’s not easy — and I think the scores are showing,” Ko said. “Anything kind of under par the past couple days is a really solid round. I’m pretty happy with the way I started this week.”

Kupcho topped the leaderboard at 8 under after birdieing five of the first eight holes in her morning round, then was 5 over the rest of the way. She had a double bogey on the par-4 16th, four bogeys and a birdie on her final nine holes.

“I’m pretty upset,” Kupcho said. “I think in hindsight I still hit 15 greens. Like I was hitting the ball really good. Three-putted 10 and 11 and four-putted 16. I didn’t play bad. Just had a couple shaky putts down the stretch — and that’s going to happen.”

Lexi Thompson was in the group with Henderson tied for 26th at 1 over after a 73 The American plans to play a limited schedule after this season.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Lexi Thompson, of the United States, chips on the first hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

Jennifer Kupcho, of the United States, watches her tee shot on the fifteenth hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

Jennifer Kupcho, of the United States, lines up a putt on the fourteenth green during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

New Zealand's Lydia Ko hits a tee shot on the first hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

Korea's Haeran Ryu hits a tee shot on the fourth hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Brooke Henderson hits a tee shot on the second hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Lauren Coughlin, of the United States, hits from the fairway on the sixth hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Lauren Coughlin, of the United States, hits a tee shot on the seventh hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)