SAN ANTONIO — Center Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs had a remarkable performance that solidified his place in basketball history. On Monday night, he scored 34 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out six assists, and blocked three shots as the Spurs triumphed over the Sacramento Kings 116-96.
This game marked Wembanyama’s 82nd in his career, which establishes a full season’s worth of games for the towering 7-foot-3 French athlete, who was the top pick in the 2023 draft. His impressive stats allow him to join legends like Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Blake Griffin, and Sidney Wicks as one of the few players in NBA history to achieve at least 1,700 points, 800 rebounds, and 300 assists in their first 82 games.
Veteran guard Chris Paul expressed confidence that Wembanyama is still developing and will soon showcase even more of his potential. “It’s incredible to witness how dedicated he is to improving. His relentless desire to enhance his skills is significant,” commented Paul. “As we continue to play together, I believe our chemistry will only grow stronger.”
Wembanyama, who took home the Rookie of the Year award last season and was a close runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year behind his compatriot Rudy Gobert, averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 71 games while leading the league with an impressive 3.6 blocks.
This season, despite slightly dipping averages, he continues to showcase outstanding defense with an average of 4.0 blocks per game. After a fruitful summer that included contributing to France’s Silver medal at the Paris Olympics, Wembanyama feels revitalized. In a previous game against the Utah Jazz, he recorded 24 points, 16 rebounds, and seven blocks in a close 111-110 defeat, hitting a career-best six 3-pointers.
His recent performances highlight a significant milestone; he is now the first player in league history to record three games with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks, and five 3-pointers, surpassing two such performances by Kristaps Porzingis from the Boston Celtics. Against the Kings, Wembanyama matched his career-high by making six out of twelve attempts from behind the arc.
After a slow start to this season where his 3-point shooting rate fell to 25%, he has improved significantly, sinking 14 of 27 attempts from long range in the last three games alone. “I’m selecting better shots from the perimeter,” Wembanyama explained. “Things are definitely looking up for me. I’m just 20, so I expect my game to keep getting better.”