San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama has been all the rage on social media lately. For basketball fans, they’ve probably become familiar with the rookie by now, even though he hasn’t played a single second in the regular season.
And it’s been a long time since the NBA has seen a rookie with so much hype to his name in the offseason and actually proved he’s worth the hype in the preseason.
ESPN hit it right on target when they put the center/power forward in the 47th spot of their rankings almost a fortnight ago:
Via ESPN: “Wembanyama is unlike any prospect we’ve seen enter the NBA. Wembanyama averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game in the French Pro A League last season on his way to winning MVP honors. Still, how much of that translates to the NBA right away remains to be seen.”
Pre-season stint of Wembanyama
Wembanyama, for the past two weeks, has either been making headlines in the news or has been the source of noise on social media, not only for his impressive rebounds and dunks but also for his physique. The rookie is, after all, built differently.
This is genuinely WILD 😳
Victor Wembanyama 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/clON5Q0O5D
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) October 22, 2023
The 19-year-old stands at a monstrous height of 7’4” and has an incredible 8-foot wingspan that even the best NBA players can hardly escape from. Fans have often referred to Wembanyama as Spurs’ own cheatcode and have described his build to be ‘alienating’.
Kinda wild if you think about it. pic.twitter.com/GIzGNlIUT2
— C.J. Holmes (@CjHolmes22) October 21, 2023
Wembanyama’s athleticism echoed throughout the league during the preseason, most notably during the Spurs’ final game with the Golden State Warriors, in which the Gen Z rookie faced off against future Hall of Famers Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Chris Paul.
But even then, it was still Wembanyama’s name that shone through the game. According to the NBA, Wembanyama registered 19 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 5 blocks in 21 minutes during the Spurs’ 122-117 preseason win over Warriors on Friday.
Wemby vs. Steph jump ball 😅🤣 pic.twitter.com/iufjqGpQAT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 21, 2023
“He’s incredible to watch,” McDermott said of his Wembanyama, per Sports Illustrated. “He does some things that you can’t really explain. He’s just so coordinated for how tall he is.”
In four of his preseason games, Wembanyama logged an average of 19.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.8 blocks per game.
These numbers tell people one thing: Wembanyama is definitely one to watch out for during this season.
Wemby on the championship: “I just want it as quick as possible.”
Wembanyama was asked to reflect on his previous remarks about wanting to win a championship as soon as possible in his interview with Good Morning America after seeing the competition during the preseason.
“That everyone wants it for sure, but some more than others. And I know the Spurs, they know how to do it. They’ve done it in the past multiple times and they’re going to do it again. I just want it, of course, as quick as possible,” Wembanyama said.
“But, it’s going to come. Someday, it’s going to come, I’m sure. But, I don’t know when,” the rookie added.
“I know the Spurs know how to do it, they’ve done it in the past multiple times, and they’re gonna do it again… Some day, it’s gonna come, I’m sure.”
Victor Wembanyama on wanting to win an NBA championship “as quick as possible” 👀
(via @GMA)pic.twitter.com/w0twHdng5T
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 21, 2023
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The photo above is from a YouTube screengrab