The Philadelphia 76ers played the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, showcasing a first-ever matchup between two of the most entertaining big men in the NBA.
It’s safe to say that when reigning MVP Joel Embiid saw Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama for the first time before the game, Embiid was impressed.
Wembanyama, who is 7’4″, is one of the few guys in the league that Embiid looks up to on the floor. Embiid didn’t hide from the possibility that he would face difficulties in his first season. The 20-year-old Frenchman has been nothing short of a human highlight reel thus far.
Embiid sneakily made his way to the Spurs’ side of the court during warm-ups before the game started. He seemed to be trying to gauge how he looked next to Wembanyama while avoiding detection, and cameras captured this moment. Embiid arched his eyebrows as he turned to go, appearing to be saying, “Wow, he really is that tall, huh.”
Embiid's first look at @wemby 🤣😂🤣#PorVida | @Spurs | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/tAWPRXl4Gi
— Bally Sports San Antonio (@BallySportsSA) January 23, 2024
Although Wembanyama still has a ways to go before his career soars to the heights that Embiid has, it seems likely that Wemby’s name will come up in the MVP discussion at some point in the upcoming years.
In their first-ever meeting, Embiid quickly proved to be superior to the rookie, scoring 24 points in the first quarter.