“7ft, shoots a jumper, can dominate inside. He’ll probably be the first pick…” Ever since Shaquille O’Neal heard of Victor Wembanyama when the buzz of the 2023 first draft began, he was aware of Wemby’s talent and has been constantly praising him since. When Shaq witnessed Wemby play at Abu Dhabi during the pre-season, he said, “He’s not the future Shaq, but he can definitely be the 1st Victor…” Wemby is proving him right. Just in his rookie season, he is already making and breaking records.
Victor Wembanyama became the first player to score at least 85 points, 35 rebounds, and 10 blocks in his first five NBA games since Shaq in 1992. A few days ago, he became the first rookie to post 40+ points and 20+ rebounds in a single game since Shaq in 1993. played for Orlando Magic and lost against Detroit Pistons. The comparison between the two 7-plus centers is a hot topic of discussion this season. Appearing on NBA TNT recently, the Tuesday crew was watching insane plays from the Golden State Warriors vs Dallas Mavericks game and sharing their opinions on players.
While reacting to Stephen Curry’s shooting, Shaq said, “I wish I could shoot like that.” Then as they watched Luka Dončić’s shooting with the layup on the other end, one panelist told the ex-Los Angeles Lakers star that he would have been Wemby if that was the case. “If you could do that, You’d be Wemby, Shaq.” The 4x NBA champion quickly disagreed and said “Oh no. Wemby’s 7’5″ five, I’m only 7’1.”
Right now, Victor Wembanyama owns almost 90 percent of rookie records. He has not just leveled up with Shaq but also has surpassed him in certain categories. He has outperformed 86 percent of all NBA players in terms of their rebounds in their rookie season and can dunk his own 3-shot attempt. These two feats were something that even Shaquille O’Neal could not achieve. This proved Shaq’s statement that even if he was a good shooter, Wemby’s height put him at a better advantage.
The French baller might have dethroned Shaq from his illustrious debut, but there are still areas of improvement for him as compared to Shaq’s rookie season. Wemby is presently averaging 21.2 points per game. For him to level up to Shaq’s rookie year stats, he will have to close the season at 23.7 points per game and higher than this to surpass him.
And even though the Spurs’ star may have surpassed 86 percent of players’ rookie season rebound figures, Shaq is not among those 86 percent. While Wemby has averaged 10.5 rebounds per game this season, Shaq averaged 13.9 rebounds in the 1992-93 season. Yet another major achievement necessary for Victor to level up with Shaquille O’Neal’s rookie season record is the Rookie of the Year award, for which he is the strongest contender right now. Looks like Shaq knew from the very beginning that Victor was going to make it big in the NBA.
LeBron James called Wemby a generational talent
Whenever Shaq has talked about Wembanyama, it mostly praises, except for the time when he placed Bol Bol above him. Shaq had said in an interview, “Bol Bol can do everything Wemby can do and even a little better… Just saying he was the first 7 foot 5 guy to do that with style.” But soon after this comparison was made, looks like Victor took it seriously, he answered by matching Shaq’s NBA feat of the first 5 games.
Appreciating the achievement, Shaq said, “I’m not gonna put a lot of pressure on him. He’s 19, a rookie. But from the highlights I’ve seen he’s definitely in the ‘big man alliance’ already. And I never give it up that early.”
Even before Victor was picked in the draft, Shaq had seen him play and had predicted that he would be a 1st pick. He said, “I just saw him play the other day, very impressive… He’ll probably be the first pick, he’s probably the best player coming out of France… He should want to make a name for himself, he should not want to be like anyone else… They’re probably going to compare him to Kevin Durant and other guys… If I was him I’d want to be able to say ‘I’m the best player in the world’.”
King LeBron James also called Wemby a “generational talent.” During an interview in 2022, James was asked what he thought of the NBA’s 1st draft prospect. He said, “… There’s been a thing of labeling certain player as a ‘unicorn’. I feel like he’s more like an alien. No one has ever seen anyone as tall and fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor. His ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot step-back jumpers out the post, step-back threes, catch and shoot threes, block shots… He’s a big-time player.”
Fast forward to 2023, Victor has lived up to the hype and has established himself by creating outstanding feats early in his career. In the Spurs’ recent 130-126 victory against the Knicks, Wemby scored 40 points, 20 rebounds, and 7 assists and became the first rookie with a 40-20 game after Shaq. He outshined a 61-point performance from Jalen Brunson and said, “I’ve just witnessed so much greatness, and I want to be a part of it… I always wanted to, but more and more, I’m seeing that I’m already able to compete with those guys. I’m not there, but I’m on the right path. I know it, and I’m gonna get there one day soon.”
