Victor Wembanyama is the real deal.
As LeBron James knows, the hardest thing in pro sport is living up to the hype and Wembanyama has managed to do just that in his rookie season.
The San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Draft Lottery when they were given the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft and took the 224cm Frenchman without a second thought.
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The Spurs have tanked again this season, restricting Wembanyama’s court time and playing a point guard out of position as they chase another top draft pick.
There was some early debate about whether Wembanyama or OKC big man Chet Holmgren, who has unlocked the Thunder’s team so much they are now a genuine contender in the Western Conference.
But there is now no doubt Wembanyama will be awarded the NBA’s Rookie of the Year after he claimed a rare slice of basketball history over the weekend.
The 20-year-old stuffed the stat sheet against the LA Lakers on Saturday — finishing with 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and five blocks.
It was a rare ‘5 x 5’ where a player tallies at least five in all statistical categories (points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks).
It’s the closest thing to a perfect game in basketball and the ultimate display of a player’s versatility.
Blocks and steals are generally the hardest categories to achieve, but Wembanyama was only one assist away from a 5 x 5 in his previous game against the Sacramento Kings.
A 5 x 5 is so rare that is has only been done 22 times in NBA history and Wembanyama is just the 15th player to achieve the feat. He’s the youngest to ever do it and the first since Jusuf Nurkic in 2019.
Wembanyama’s Spurs lost the game to the Lakers though, and he had a mature response when told he had joined Michael Jordan in back-to-back five-steal, five-block games.
“I wonder if he did it in wins, not losses,” he said.
“To me, it’s secondary. Hopefully we can look back and think this is a good performance. As of today, I can’t be satisfied with a loss.”
That kid is SPECIAL!! 👽
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 24, 2024
“I’ve said it from the beginning, he’s special,” LeBron James said of Wembanyama after the game.
“The passing is unfair,” host Trey Kerby said on the No Dunks podcast.
“He is manipulating the defences, finding pocket passes. These are not simple assists. This is wild stuff from Wembanyama.
“Victor Wembanyama is ‘tell your family’ status now. It’s reasonable (to think) when he retires he’s the best player in the history of basketball.
“What you’re seeing him do right now is wild. They have to take him out of games to keep losing.”
The 5 x 5 isn’t the only wild feat the man nicknamed Wemby has achieved this season.
Earlier this month, he claimed his second career triple-double, scoring 27 points and 14 rebounds as well as 10 blocks in a stunning performance that also included five assists and two steals.
Usually triple-doubles are scored by players with the points, rebounds and assists, but that he did it with blocks is the first time since 2021 someone both claimed a triple-double with blocks and that someone blocked 10 or more shots in a game.
The likes of Russell Westbrook, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic have made triple-doubles an almost daily occurrence in the NBA, and Wembanyama could well do the same to the 5 x 5.