LOS ANGELES (USA) - Victor Wembanyama's 25-point first-quarter in less than 8 minutes for San Antonio at the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday has caused another buzz on planet basketball.
Could he become the first player in more than 60 years to score 100 points as Wilt Chamberlain once did for the Philadelphia Warriors?
Kobe Bryant poured in 81 for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006 and more recently, Luka Doncic had 73 as a Dallas Maverick - the same amount David Thompson scored in 1978 outing with the Denver Nuggets.
Yet Wembanyama, aka "The Alien", is the player with the best chance of challenging Chamberlain's record that has stood since March 2, 1962, when he had 100 for the Warriors in a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks.
Look at what took place on Tuesday in San Antonio's 136-108 romp over the Lakers, who played without Doncic, James, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart.
Wemby finished with 40 points in just 26 minutes, making him just the third player in the past 50 seasons to score at least that amount while playing 27 minutes or less.
The first quarter display made many think he can do a Wilt!
It's easy to understand how someone could draw that conclusion. Just do the math: 4 quarters x 25 points = 100 points.
Wembanyama scored with an array of shots in that opening stanza, particularly in a 4:15 stretch when making all five of his shots from the floor and scoring 17 points.
He was able to get to the basket in the opening quarter with those long strides and score with layups or dunks. He connected from deep three times and also buried a sweet turnaround around jumper in the lane.
After his 12 points in the second quarter, coach Mitch Johnson played Wemby the first 8 minutes of the third quarter and then let his star rest for the remainder of the game with San Antonio in complete command.
"I was also pushing to go back, but I mean, they did the right thing by keeping me on the bench," Wembanyama said.
Isn't the only thing that matters is to win, not for a player to score a record number of points?
Wembanyama didn't say after the game he wants to get to 100 as Wilt did, but he didn't rule out challenging the record, either, saying after the win it was okay to be "greedy."
"These kind of games, you’ve got to have the greed," he said. “I mean, every game you've got to have this greed to want more every time, because, you know, at all times, it doesn't matter who’s on the court, somebody is going to want to stop you from what you’re doing out there. So you’ve got to be greedy."
Wembanyama rules the NBA right now, and it's also fair to say he's among the best in FIBA ball.
At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, there was not a more intriguing athlete, and especially in team sports, than Wemby. He led his country to a silver medal.
His incredible displays for Les Bleus, including 26 points in the Gold Medal Game against USA, earned him a spot in the All-Star Five. He averaged 15.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.
All eyes were on Wembanyama at the 2024 Olympics in France
Before that, he had played in international windows for France. Even as a youth national team player, Wembama was a star. He made the All-Tournament team at the 2021 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Riga, Latvia, when France finished runners-up to USA.
Physical defense, a slightly smaller court and especially shorter quarters (10 minutes in international basketball compared to 12 minutes in the NBA) make it unlikely that Wemby could have a 100 point tally in FIBA ball. Defenders can also knock the ball off the rim.
The 3-point line isn't as far out as the NBA, though, which should make it easier Wemby to knock down balls from deep. Overtime games can also help a player chase 100 points. Dirk Nowitzki scored 47 points in a 2006 FIBA Basketball World Cup game against Angola that had three overtimes.
It's safe to assume, though, thatif Wemby gets to 100, it will be in the NBA.
Yet if he remains "greedy," and maybe asks a little more forcefully of his coach not to keep him on the bench even with a big lead, then why can't he reach 100?
How playing with France helped Wemby:
[](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/wemby-on-his-national-team-summer-theres-a-lot-i-learned)
**FIBA**