Wembanyama shaves head, shines brightly in leading Spurs past Antetokounmpo, Bucks

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama needed a fresh start after two frustrating losses so he decided to let it all go — his hair, that is.

Sporting a freshly shaved head courtesy of a teammate, Wembanyama overcame an injury scare to score 22 points and grab 10 rebounds Thursday night as San Antonio routed Milwaukee 119-101 to snap a two-game skid.

Wembanyama exited early in the first quarter after banging knees with Giannis Antetokounmpo but returned to even his career record against the Bucks center after four games.

It was a welcome change for Wembanyama and the Spurs after blowing a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter in falling 104-103 at Minnesota on Sunday followed by a 119-98 loss at Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson deserves some credit for the change in fortunes as well as Wembanyama’s new style.

“I have been having this (shaving his head) in the back of my head for a little bit, and the fact that (Keldon) wanted to do it as well, it just convinced me,” Wembanyama said. “But I felt like we had to lock in real quick because we had been losing a little bit.”

The idea for new look began last week when Johnson announced he was planning to shave his head and tried to convince his teammates to join him.

Spurs guard Stephon Castle wasn’t about to shave his dreadlock high-top fade.

“They knew not to ask me,” Castle said. “I don’t got much for that one. It’s not going to happen.”

Not surprisingly, the young man who spent 10 days training with the Shaolin monks in Zhengzhou, China, this summer and played chess in Washington Square Park in New York City on a whim two years ago was all in.

Wembanyama opted to have Johnson shave his head Wednesday night rather than go to a professional barber.

“I mean, what can go wrong if the plan is to cut it all off,” Wembanyama said, chuckling.

Johnson is rarely at a standstill on the court or on the bench, but he reined in his energy while clipping Wembanyama.

“It took me a good little minute,” Johnson said. “I was trying to be cautious because he got hit (on the head against Oklahoma City). He had a knot on his head. So, I was trying to make sure everything’s smooth. Take my time. You know what I’m saying? I had to fade it up a little bit at first. Then I gave him a little bowl cut and we just went from there.”

Wembanyama returned the favor with the same precision he had in making 5 of 6 3-pointers on Thursday.

“He did good,” Johnson said. “He was quick with it. No lie. Vic probably took like three minutes. Boom, boom, boom, knocking down. Boom. I’m like, wow.”

The bald head represented a new start and it also brought a turn of fortune after a series of injuries for the 7-foot-4 center from France.

Wembanyama dropped to the court after making knee-to-knee contact with Antetokounmpo’s left leg under the Bucks basket with 9:18 remaining in the first quarter. Wembanyama remained on the court in pain for a few seconds before rising and hobbling unassisted in a half sprint toward the locker room.

The scene was eerily similar to Wembanyama limping off the court Dec. 31 after hyperextending his left knee in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks. He returned the bench to watch the closing minutes on New Year’s Eve but would miss the next two games.

On Thursday, Wembanyama returned to the bench at the close of the first quarter Thursday, but this time he went back on the court to start the second quarter.

“I did not think it was serious because it was just like a knee to knee,” Wembanyama said. “I’ve had this dozens of times, but never against a guy like this. So, that was a lot more than usual, but it’s thankfully a very benign thing.”

Wembanyama had an immediate impact that left the sellout crowd at the Frost Bank Center in awe like Johnson was after his trim.

Wembanyama opened with a reverse, two-handed push shot off the backboard off a high entry pass from Harrison Barnes.

Wembanyama added two rebounds, a block and back-to-back 3-pointers in a 42-second span, including banking in a 25-footer from the top of the key midway through the second quarter.

Wembanyama had 11 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot while playing 12 minutes, 27 seconds in the second quarter.

He did not play in the fourth quarter as the Spurs lead ballooned to 37 points late in the third.

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

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates a score in front of Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, and San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, right, visit following their NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, left, drives against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama reveals a freshly shaved head as he warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks in San Antonio, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't hesitate to try to fix their pass rush woes by selecting Rueben Bain Jr. with the 15th pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.

One of the top prospects available, even after published reports linked him to a traffic collision that resulted in the death of a passenger, Bain helped Miami to an appearance in the College Football Playoff national championship game in January and is confident he's a good fit for the Bucs.

Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht feels the same way. He said the team did its homework on the 6-foot-3, 275-pound Bain, who had 20 1/2 sacks in three seasons in college.

“We've known about this for a long time,” Licht said of the accident Bain was involved in March 2024. "I know it just came out a couple of weeks ago. It was a very tragic accident. Tragic experience for the family. It's something you never want to see happen.

“He's a good person,”" the GM added. “Was involved in something none of us ever want to be involved in, never want any of our loved ones to be involved."

Bain, speaking from the draft in Pittsburgh via Zoom, did not say much about the accident or how he has coped with news of the collision breaking in the weeks leading up to the draft.

“Everything has its ups and downs. I try to make everything as simple as it possibly can be, try to prioritize whatever I can prioritize at the moment,” the 21-year-old said.

Bain, whose position coach at Miami was Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, said he was relieved when his name was called. He said he has family in Tampa and expects a smooth transition to the NFL.

The Bucs went 8-9 last season, losing seven of nine games following a 6-2 start to end a string of five consecutive playoff appearances that included a Tom Brady-led Super Bowl run during the 2020 season. The lack of a consistent pass rush was one of the biggest problems on defense.

Inside linebacker, tight end and cornerback are other priorities Licht and coach Todd Bowles could address during the three-day draft. Barring trades, Tampa Bay has three of the top 77 selections overall and at least one pick in each of the final six rounds.

The team began an overhaul of the defense this winter after losing linebacker Lavonte David to retirement and not bringing back cornerback Jamel Dean and linebacker Haason Reddick, who became free agents. Defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad signed a one-year deal with the Bucs in March after having a career-best 11 sacks with the Detroit Lions last season, and the Bucs also landed linebackers Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom in free agency.

Tampa By finished with 37 sacks last season, the team's lowest total since Bowles, who continue to call defensive plays, joined the Bucs as defensive coordinator in 2019.

Bain can hardly wait to get started.

“I feel like I'll fit in just fine,” Bain said. “Bowles is an aggressive-like minded coach and I'm an aggressive-like minded player. I feel like it's 2 and 2 put together. It's going to be real simple, real smooth.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 15th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. celebrates with fans after being chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 15th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. walks on stage before the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)