It was obvious that San Antonio Spurs legend-in-the-making Victor Wembanyama was itching to play in a real game on Wednesday night. Eight months is a long time to be away.

But it was worth the wait. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, who has grown to 7-foot-5 now, put on a show in the Spurs' season opener at Dallas. He scored 40 points and had 15 rebounds in just 30 minutes of work, and the Spurs routed the Mavericks 125-92.

It was the most points in Spurs history in a season opener, and he was also the first NBA player since 1979 to go 40 and 15 with three blocks or more and also shoot over 70 percent from the field without having a single turnover.

This after missing half a season a year ago that started in February when he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis that ended his season -- and put a score in him. Now he's back, happy and healthier than ever.

"I saw what it's like to be confronted with potentially losing a lot, whether it's your career or your health. So I'm not taking this for granted anymore,'' Wembanyama told reporters after the game. "The body? I'm having more fun now that I'm not struggling to move as much. I know I still need to get better, and I'm still going to get better."

Here's the full game story from Wembanyama's historic night from Spurs Roundtable reporter Greg Liodice.

Spurs Look Unstoppable, Embarrassed Mavericks in Dallas on Opening Night Led by All-Star Victor Wembanyama, in a 125-92 win against the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs just may be one of the best teams in the NBA.

The Spurs will spoiled the debut of Mavericks first-round pick Cooper Flagg, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes of action. He also had a front-row seat to Wembanyama's night in their first-of-many confrontations.

"He is incredible. He is a different player," Flagg told reporters after the game. "You can't know what it's like until you're out there on the court with him. It's something I've never seen before. He was great tonight, but we've got to do a better job of trying to just take away some of his looks, and we can't foul him as much as we did."

Mavericks Roundtable publisher Grant Afseth was courtside for the game and wrote about Flagg's debut. Here's his story.

Cooper Flagg Learns Fast as Victor Wembanyama Steals the Spotlight in Opening Night Rout A rookie phenom faces tough lessons against a dominant Wembanyama, learning to adjust on the fly after a challenging NBA debut.