NBA insider Brian Windhorst has compared Victor Wembanyama’s rise to early career breakthroughs from Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James, suggesting the Spurs star could be a face of the new NBA era.
Victor Wembanyama is being placed in the same conversation as some of the biggest names in NBA history, with league insider Brian Windhorst suggesting the San Antonio Spurs star is already on a path similar to Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James.
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Windhorst pointed to how past legends began taking over the league early in their careers, using both Shaq and LeBron as examples of players who quickly shifted the balance of power in the NBA.
"Shaquille O'Neal, third year, got the Magic to the finals," he said on ESPN's Get Up. "Jordan was still, had a lot left in him, but when that happened, you could see that the future was going to belong to Shaq, and he went to six of the next 11 finals. LeBron James, in his fourth year, 2007, gets to the finals. They weren't ready to win. He needed a couple of more years, had to end a change, but he went to 11 out of 14 finals, okay? It became LeBron James' era. Victor Wimbanyama, third year, age 22, I feel the same way. I believe we are entering the Victor Wimbanyama era. How deep it'll go? Stay tuned."
Wembanyama has already backed up that level of attention with a dominant playoff run in his first NBA postseason appearance.
The Spurs star has been one of the most impactful players on both ends of the floor, averaging 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 51.0 percent from the field.
His biggest statement came in the Western Conference Finals, where he elevated his game even further across seven games against Oklahoma City.
Wembanyama finished the series averaging 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game, earning unanimous Western Conference Finals MVP honors.
In the decisive Game 7, he put up 22 points and 7 rebounds to close out the series and send the Spurs to the NBA Finals.
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