In his debut NBA season, Victor Wembanyama has done a fantastic job living up to the hype. The rookie for the San Antonio Spurs shown once more on Thursday and Friday night that he can do it all on the court.
He outperformed the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, tallying 19 points, 13 rebounds, five steals, and five blocks. He scored 27 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out eight assists, and again had five steals and blocks the next night—an extremely uncommon 5×5 performance for an NBA player.
Wembanyama recording five steals and blocks in consecutive games is even more uncommon. Actually, only one player—Michael Jordan in 1987—has ever accomplished that specific accomplishment.
Wembanyama talks about Michael Jordan
Regarding matching Michael Jordan, Wembanyama, who is always humble, had an excellent answer. He said,
“I wonder if [Jordan] did it in wins, not losses,”
“To me, it’s secondary. Hopefully in the future we can look back and see this as a good performance, but as of today, I can’t be satisfied with a loss.”
Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama on joining Michael Jordan w/ back-to-back 5-steal, 5-block games: “I wonder if he did it in wins, not losses. To me, it’s secondary. Hopefully… we can look back & think this is a good performance. As of today, I can’t be satisfied with a loss.” pic.twitter.com/ITAd0bupxr
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 24, 2024
Wembanyama’s estimation was accurate. On February 22, 1987, Jordan scored 43 points, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked five shots, and helped the Chicago Bulls defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 102–98. Two days later, in a 113–103 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, he added 12 rebounds, five steals, and five blocks to his 34 points. Wembanyama’s efforts were rewarded with consecutive five-point losses for the 11-46 Spurs, who are currently in last place in the Western Conference.
Wembanyama’s performance, despite the loss, left another all-time great in the game impressed. It was LeBron James who shared this tweet.
That kid is SPECIAL!! 👽
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 24, 2024
