LOS ANGELES, June 14 — San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s first chance at an NBA championship came sooner than most expected, and the 22-year-old French phenomenon admitted he wasn’t ready for the moment.

“Obviously, we weren’t ready, I wasn’t ready to win a ring, that’s clear,” a dejected Wembanyama said after the New York Knicks beat the Spurs 94-90 on their home floor to clinch a 4-1 triumph in the NBA Finals on Saturday.

The Spurs led by double digits in each of their four defeats in the series, Wembanyama lamenting a multitude of mistakes and missed chances by the young Texas team.

“In terms of desire to do well, intensity, effort, we were at a good level, me, too,” he said. “But experience ... it’s about the mistakes.

“We’re not lacking in talent or ability, but we make too many mistakes. I make too many mistakes.”

The towering 22-year-old, in his third season, led the Spurs to the second-best record in the league.

They beat the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals, surviving two elimination games to triumph in seven games.

But in the face of the crafty, determined Knicks the young Spurs were undone by devastating miscues.

They included a shocking turnover by Wembanyama late in game two and his flagrant foul in game four that only energised the Knicks – who erased a 29-point deficit to win.

The NBA Defensive Player of the Year was dominant early in Saturday’s must-win game but was helpless to stop the Spurs surrendering another double-digit lead in the final quarter.

“Compared to anything before, this is the biggest lesson of my life, the biggest learning moment,” Wembanyama said.

“I can’t tell you exactly what the lesson is, but we’re learning from that, for sure.

“It has been a hell of a year in terms of experience,” he said, adding that one of the hardest aspects of the defeat is that “there’s probably a hundred games before we can be back in Finals.

“I’m going to have to hold that inside of me and slow down and wait and execute for a hundred games,” he said.

It wasn’t much consolation that many of the league’s greats, including Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Magic Johnson, had to go through years of playoff heartbreak before securing the titles that validated their talent.

“It’s painful,” Wembanyama said.

“But I’m not running away from that. I’m using (it) to fuel me. I’m sure all these guys you named, they’re not satisfied with being eliminated in earlier rounds or not making the playoffs.

“I’m not satisfied with not winning. But as I said, this is the biggest lesson of my life. As a team, there’s no better experience than what we just lived.” — AFP

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KOTA BHARU, June 12 — Leprosy still exists in Kelantan with eight new cases recorded last year, despite many believing that the disease had been eradicated and was no longer a public health problem.

Kelantan health director Datuk Dr Mohd Azman Yacob said the number involved an incidence rate of 0.37 cases per 100,000 population, while at the national level, 381 new cases were reported in 2025 with an incidence rate of 11.5 cases per 100,000 population.

He said a total of 516 leprosy patients were still receiving treatment in Malaysia last year with a prevalence rate of 0.15 per 10,000 population, while the prevalence rate in Kelantan was 0.06 per 10,000 population, lower than the World Health Organization (WHO) target of less than one case per 10,000 population.

“Leprosy or Hansen’s Disease is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria mycobacterium leprae and can be spread through airborne droplets from patients who have not received treatment when coughing, sneezing or talking. However, this disease can be completely cured if patients receive treatment consistently,” he said in a statement in conjunction with the Kelantan State Level World Leprosy Day 2026 and the Tumpat District Level Health Literacy Meet yesterday.

He said among the common symptoms of the disease are reddish or white patches or rashes on the skin that do not itch and are accompanied by loss of sensation in the affected area, in addition to causing nerve damage, muscle weakness and facial nerve paralysis if left untreated.

Dr Mohd Azman said family members and close contacts of patients are at high risk of contracting the disease, hence early detection, contact screening and immediate treatment are very important to prevent transmission in the community.

He said the Ministry of Health is also implementing the provision of Single Dose Rifampicin (SDR) to eligible close contacts to reduce the risk of infection.

Meanwhile, he said the theme for this year’s World Leprosy Day, “Leprosy Is Curable, The Real Challenge Is Stigma”, aims to raise public awareness that leprosy patients should not be ostracized because the disease is not caused by race, heredity or retaliation for certain actions.

At the same event, the Tumpat District Level Health Literacy Interview Programme was also held to increase the community’s ability to obtain, understand and use health information to make the right decisions regarding personal, family and community health.

Various activities were provided including health forums, health and dental check-ups, blood donations, Rahmah sales and health literacy quizzes. — Bernama

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Organized by Capture the Atlas, the 2026 Milky Way Photographer of the Year saw a record number of submissions, with more than 6,500 entries representing a wide range of landscapes and perspectives around the world. Just 25 were selected as the top images, representing 12 different regions from the Canary Islands to New Zealand to Argentina.

“Every year, this collection reminds us that photographing the Milky Way is not only about technique or planning. It is about curiosity, patience, and the desire to experience the night sky in places where it still feels wild,” says Dan Zafra, editor of Capture the Atlas and curator of the annual contest. “Many of these skies are becoming increasingly rare, and we hope these images inspire people not only to admire them, but also to value and protect them.”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Explore 25 Incredible Photos of the Milky Way Captured Around the World appeared first on Colossal.

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