SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama turned heads (and maybe sparked nightmares) when he dressed up as Slenderman last year, using his 7-foot-3 frame to chilling effect ahead of a Halloween-night matchup in Phoenix.
For his sophomore season Halloween fit, the San Antonio Spurs star went from creepypasta myth to Studio Ghibli icon. Ahead of the team's road matchup against the Utah Jazz, Wembanyama donned the black cloak and distinct white mask of No-Face, the ghostly character from the 2001 animated movie "Spirited Away."
Given Wemby's well-documented pop culture passions, from "Star Wars" to fantasy novels, it's easy to imagine why he decided to dress up as the fantastical figure this year.
Spurs fans mostly approved of Wemby's costume, with one X (formerly Twitter) user commenting that his "Halloween game is second to none." Spurs power forward Sando Mamukelashvili, meanwhile, went a more menacing route with his Halloween look—perhaps trying to set the tone before facing off against the Jazz.
It worked. The Spurs went on to win 106-88, thanks in part to Wembanyama's second-career 5x5 game; he finished with 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five blocks and five steals. Mamukelashvili, meanwhile, tallied a cool 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting.
San Antonio is now 2-3 on the season.
