History tells us that teams falling short in the NBA Finals rarely make an immediate return to the championship stage the very next season. In fact, no franchise has accomplished the feat in nearly a decade, with the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2018 standing as the last group to pull it off.
However, basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal is openly bucking historical trends. Speaking at Fanatics Fest on The Big Podcast with Shaq, the Hall of Fame center boldly predicted that the San Antonio Spurs will break the curse and storm right back to the NBA Finals in 2027.
The Unstoppable Force of Victor Wembanyama
When asked for his definitive pick to conquer the Western Conference next season, O’Neal didn’t hesitate to put his weight behind San Antonio over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I’mma go with the Spurs over the Thunder,” O’Neal explained. “Because it’s a matchup problem with Victor Wembanyama when he plays the right way. So they are neck and neck. They’re very similar, but I think if Victor can dominate three out of four games in any playoff series, I’mma always go with the Spurs.”
Wembanyama was nothing short of breathtaking during the 2025-26 campaign, culminating in a grueling seven-game Western Conference Finals triumph over the Thunder where he averaged 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks en route to winning series MVP honors. Though the Spurs ultimately stumbled in a tough five-game Finals loss to the New York Knicks, Wembanyama’s trajectory remains undeniably supersonic.
Answering Shaq’s Challenge in the Gym
Following the Finals defeat, O’Neal offered some tough love and direct advice to the young French phenom, emphasizing the need to add physical bulk: “As good as he is, he’s going to need to get stronger. Because when you become a dominant big man, people are going to force, and a lot of times he couldn’t handle that… I don’t know what he’s going to do this summer, but he definitely needs to get in that weight room.”
It appears the message was received loud and clear. Recent training footage circulating online shows Wembanyama grinding relentlessly in the weight room this offseason. Combined with his stunning decision to take a $51 million pay cut on a massive five-year, $252 million extension, Wembanyama is proving his absolute dedication to bringing another championship banner back to Texas.
Navigating a Quiet Summer in the West
While the Spurs have enjoyed a relatively quiet summer—highlighted primarily by the addition of veteran forward Tobias Harris on a two-year, $31 million deal—analysts believe their core is more than equipped to handle the pressure. With the Western Conference appearing wide open and major rivals like the Los Angeles Lakers experiencing internal turbulence, the path remains clear for another titanic collision between San Antonio and Oklahoma City.
If Wembanyama takes another leap forward after his grueling summer workouts, Shaq’s prediction might look like pure genius by the time 2027 rolls around.
Do you think Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will bounce back to win the 2027 NBA Finals? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
