Victor Wembanyama thought he might be in trouble. It was a rare happy moment for the San Antonio Spurs in a tough season, a win against the New York Knicks last month that had fans excited.
He made a great play at the end of the game, catching the final pass as time ran out. He gave a high-five to a fan sitting near the court, then threw the ball to someone further back in the stands. Everyone loved it, except the NBA, which fined him $25,000 two days later.
But Wembanyama didn’t mind. He thought it was worth it. “I know players have been fined for this before, but they usually threw it in a bad way,” Wembanyama said. “I threw it to make someone’s day.”
The person who caught the ball had a special moment, and Wembanyama seems like someone who will create many memorable moments in the future.
He’s a 7-foot-4 player who can do it all: dunking, blocking shots, making three-pointers, dribbling past defenders. He’s had an impressive rookie season, surpassing high expectations.
“He’s the future of the NBA,” said Denver coach Michael Malone. “We’re seeing the rise of the next great NBA player. … There’s not much that young man can’t do.”
Wembanyama’s stats for the season so far: 21.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.6 blocks per game.
Blocks only started being counted as a stat in 1973, so it’s likely that Wilt Chamberlain would have had similar numbers. However, officially, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has achieved such high averages in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks in a season.
Wemby, as he’s affectionately called, achieved this feat in his first year. The NBA should take notice. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions,” said Memphis’ GG Jackson, “but he’s going to be one of the best defenders ever.”
Wembanyama is likely to win Rookie of the Year, and he might even make it to the All-NBA team. He could also be a strong contender for Defensive Player of the Year as a rookie. Golden State’s Draymond Green, a former DPOY winner himself, initially doubted Wembanyama’s candidacy due to the Spurs’ record. However, after a game against the Spurs, Green changed his mind and picked Wembanyama.
“I don’t know where he came from,” Green said, “but I need to find out because he’s incredible.” Green was so focused on getting a signed Wembanyama jersey for his son that he forgot to hug Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, his former Olympic team coach.
When Wembanyama arrived in the U.S. last year, there were doubts about how he would adapt to the NBA. Could he handle the demands of an 82-game season? Would he be able to defend against stronger opponents?
He has answered these questions emphatically. Some of his highlights include a 40-point, 20-rebound game against the Knicks (the one where he threw the ball into the stands), 10 games with at least 30 points, 40 games with at least 20 points, two triple-doubles (one with 10 assists, one with 10 blocks), and a 5×5 game — achieving five or more points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in the same game.
He achieved that against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 23 with 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals, and five blocks. It was only the 22nd such game in NBA history, and the first in more than five years. And it came exactly one day after he was one assist shy from another 5×5 performance.
“He doesn’t have a limit,” Lakers star LeBron James said that night. “He can do whatever he wants in his career.” That’s what the Spurs are counting on.
Wembanyama has shown respect for San Antonio and coach Gregg Popovich from the start of this journey, beginning with the night the Spurs won the draft lottery.
Wembanyama has become familiar with breakfast tacos (a San Antonio favorite), cowboy hats, and how to play the game the way that Popovich prefers.
“He’s a multi-talented young man,” Popovich said. “And he’s going to show us things that none of us have ever seen before. … He’s becoming more solid, more disciplined, and more accustomed to the physicality and attention he receives. It’s a tough situation for him. But he handles it with dignity and intelligence.”
Wembanyama will go back to France at some point this offseason; he’ll be part of the Olympic team that will be a highlight at the Paris Games. He might be the face of those Olympics, arguably the biggest name that the home nation has to pin its gold-medal hopes on.
“People ask me if I’m surprised, and I say no, I’m not, because I’ve seen him for a long time, and I knew he was going to be special,” said Philadelphia forward Nicolas Batum, a leader of the French national team.
“I didn’t think it would happen this quickly. I didn’t expect these numbers in Year 1. But it’s good for him. He’s a great kid. He knows who he is, he knows what he can do, and he’s in a great organization.”
The Spurs aren’t contenders yet. But it’s easy to imagine it happening soon. Players have always wanted to play for Popovich. Players will want to play with Wembanyama. He’s only going to improve. Awards, recognition, attention, it’s all good, but none of it is what matters most to him. He came to the NBA to win.
And he believes that day is approaching. “I’ve seen so much greatness. And I want to be a part of it,” Wembanyama said. “More and more, I’m seeing that I’m already able to compete with those guys. I’m not there yet, but I’m on the right track. I know it. And I’m going to reach it soon.”
