Victor Wembanyama, the star 21-year-old center for the San Antonio Spurs, isn’t the best basketball player in the world yet. But the day when he becomes just that is gradually approaching.
At 7-foot-3, he’s already a monster defensively and on the boards. Offensively, he likely doesn’t know what his game will consist of once it reaches maturity, but it has already been good enough to put up 24.3 points a game last season.
Since entering the NBA two years ago, Wembanyama had been listed at 7-foot-3. But this season, his listed height has been bumped up to 7-foot-4, and according to Brian Windhorst, he’s even taller than that.
"He was listed at 7'3 as a rookie, but that was a lie," Windhorst said. "I believe he was actually 7'5″. He's now listed at 7'5″. I think he might be approaching 7'7″."
Windhorst said this after former NBA player Boban Marjanovic, who said he’s 7-foot-4, said he swore that Wembanyama is taller than him.
Wembanyama was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, and at the time, he was arguably the most hyped rookie to ever enter the league. Perhaps only LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal had anything approaching that level of hype when they turned pro in 2003 and 1992, respectively.
So far, the French native has lived up to the hype. He has averaged double-figures in rebounds per game and led the league in blocked shots per game in both of his seasons in the NBA, and he’s still growing, gaining strength and figuring out how to play the pro game at a high level.
His 2024-25 season was cut short due to a blood clot, but he’s healthy now, and the Spurs have an interesting young team around him.
Wembanyama will have a full season alongside star guard De’Aaron Fox, who is blazingly fast and very potent offensively. They also have reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, as well as 6-foot-5 rookie guard Dylan Harper, the No. 2 overall pick out of Rutgers University.
In addition, San Antonio has capable veterans such as Kelly Olynyk, Harrison Barnes, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson. Many agree that the team has an excellent shot at reaching, at a minimum, the play-in tournament this season if healthy.
San Antonio will begin its regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 22, with a nationally televised game against the Dallas Mavericks and their own young phenom, rookie 6-foot-9 forward Cooper Flagg out of Duke University.
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