SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama, the tallest man in these NBA Finals, is about to face the tallest order of his basketball career.
And he's fine with that.
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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama speaks during a news conference prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the New York Knicks, Friday, June 12, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama speaks during a news conference prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the New York Knicks, Friday, June 12, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama speaks during a news conference prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the New York Knicks, Friday, June 12, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama speaks during a news conference prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the New York Knicks, Friday, June 12, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs — who just became the first team in NBA Finals history to lead a game by 29 points and still lose — need to win the next three games, or they'll watch the New York Knicks celebrate an NBA title at their expense. And when the Spurs gathered for practice on Friday, Wembanyama insisted the belief within the Spurs camp is still there.
“Everybody thinks, everybody knows, we’re going to do it,” Wembanyama said.
If he was nervous, he hid it well. The 7-foot-4 French star has helped the Spurs stave off elimination twice already in these playoffs, after San Antonio won Games 6 and 7 of the Western Conference finals against Oklahoma City and ended the Thunder's reign as NBA champions.
Now, the Spurs have to do it again on Saturday in Game 5 against the Knicks. And if they win Saturday, they'll have to do it again in Game 6 on Tuesday. And if they win Tuesday, a Game 7 awaits next Friday.
“I feel like we need to isolate that one game and take it one game at a time,” Wembanyama said. “I think it would be a mistake to waste our energy on multiple games. It’s one game at a time.”
The Spurs led Game 1 by 14 points and lost by 10. They led Game 2 by 12 points and lost by one. They won Game 3 by four, then had the 29-point lead in Game 4 and lost by one.
Clearly, they know how to get into position to beat the Knicks.
They just haven't finished it off in three of the four games. And now, they will try to be just the second team in NBA Finals history to successfully rally from a 3-1 series deficit; Cleveland did it against Golden State in 2016. The other 37 teams that have tried to do so all failed.
“It definitely matters," Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “I feel like we’ve made history all year, and we’ve proven that with our backs against the wall that we can step up. So, I don’t really expect this to be any different.”
Neither does Wembanyama.
The Spurs know they're good enough. They've had the leads. They've won every first quarter, then frittered those advantages away. In Game 3, they recovered. In Games 1, 2 and 4, they didn't. In Game 5, they'll have to — or else.
“You said all of it,” Wembanyama said. “We’re very confident. I wouldn’t say it was so hard to shake off (Game 4). Harder than any other game before, by far, for sure. I mean, now we’re over it. It’s the playoffs. There’s no time to regret things for too long."
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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama speaks during a news conference prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the New York Knicks, Friday, June 12, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama speaks during a news conference prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the New York Knicks, Friday, June 12, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama speaks during a news conference prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the New York Knicks, Friday, June 12, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama speaks during a news conference prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the New York Knicks, Friday, June 12, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
LONDON (AP) — Helen Mirren, one of the world's most acclaimed actors, was added Friday to a very select group of people recognized by King Charles III for their “major contribution” over the years to British life.
The 80-year-old was named a “Companion of Honour,” one of the highest awards the king can bestow to citizens in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth, limited to only 65 people at any time.
Mirren's elevation to the group, which also includes British environmentalist David Attenborough, Canadian author Margaret Atwood and former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, was one of the highlights of Charles' latest award of honors.
The honors, which aim to reward individuals for their contributions to British life, are awarded twice a year to celebrities and public figures as well as ordinary people, once at New Year’s, and then in June, to mark the king’s birthday.
Nearly 1,200 people received honors in the king’s 2026 birthday list,
Mirren is no stranger to awards and has for decades been a star on stage and screen, as well as a powerful advocate for female actors.
She has tackled numerous classical parts in theater — both in the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company from the 1960s — before winning roles in movies such as “The Long Good Friday,” “Excalibur,” and “The Madness of King George.”
She also wowed British television audiences with her portrayal of Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison over seven seasons of “Prime Suspect.”
At the Oscars in 2007, she won best actress for her performance in “The Queen," a film that follows the late Queen Elizabeth II in the aftermath of the 1997 death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Introduced in 1917 by King George V, the "Companion of Honour" recognizes people who have made “a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government" over an extended time period.
They remain members until they die, when a replacement is then added. A new member will likely be named at the next honors list in the new year following the death Thursday of David Hockney, one of the most popular and critically lauded British artists of the last century.
Others recognized on Friday include British author Julia Donaldson, who last year surpassed Harry Potter writer JK Rowling as U.K.’s all-time top author, with more than 50 million books sold worldwide. She was named a dame, the female equivalent of a knighthood, for services to literature, a title that Mirren herself was awarded in 2003.
“Receiving this honor has been a very happy surprise,” said the 77-year-old author of such books as “The Gruffalo, " and “The Highway Rat.”
“It’s really gratifying to have children’s books recognized in this way," she added.
Success in sports was also recognized on Friday, with Kevin Sinfield knighted for his glittering rugby league career and subsequent fundraising exploits to aid research and support families affected by motor neuron disease, a neurological disorder.
The 45-year-old has raised over 11 million pounds ($15 million) since being inspired by his friend and his teammate Rob Burrow, who died from the disease in 2024.
Golf's two-time Ryder Cup winning captain Luke Donald was handed the Order of the British Empire. He will attempt to become the first person in Ryder Cup history to lead a team to three consecutive wins against the United States next year in Ireland.
Chloe Kelly, who scored the winning penalty for England's women's soccer team in Euro 2025, became member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, along with six other teammates.
Other notable recipients were Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi for services to music and charity nearly a year after the death of the band's legendary lead singer Ozzy Osbourne. Broadcaster and the former lead singer of Catatonia Cerys Matthews was recognized for her services to music.
The array of awards are chosen by civil servants’ committees based on nominations from the government and the public. They are usually given out by the king or a senior royal acting in his place, increasingly at Windsor Castle where Charles largely resides.
The honors don’t just reward people in the public eye.
Debbie Lewis, who set up the bereavement support group COVID-19 Families U.K. after her father died in 2020 of the coronavirus, just four months after her mother’s death.
Lewis first wrote on Facebook that her father had just died and she was on her own, hoping to connect with others going through something similar. Within a week, 40 people had contacted her.
Six years on, there are more than 4,500 people in Lewis’s support network.
“I’m still a little bit in shock,” the 56-year-old said of her honor on Friday. “I know it’s a huge achievement and I’m just a little bit overwhelmed at the moment.”
FILE - England's Chloe Kelly gestures during the Women's Euro 2025 final soccer match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, file)
FILE - Welsh singer Cerys Matthews poses during a photocall to launch the inaugural Festival of Voice, in London, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file)
FILE - Tony Iommi of British heavy metal group 'Heaven and Hell' on stage during their concert in Oslo, Norway on Thursday June 4 2009. (AP Photo/ Terje Bendiksby, Scanpix )
FILE - Queen Camilla, right, speaks with author Julia Donaldson during a reception to celebrate the centenary of BookTrust, at Clarence House, London, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP, Pool)
FILE - Helen Mirren arrives at the Golden Globes Golden Eve on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
