Victor Wembanyama has put together an outstanding rookie campaign, which has led to debates if his season is the best rookie season in the history of the NBA. Wemby has been so impactful that NBA player turned analyst Ryan Hollins recently claimed that the 7’4” Center is following in the footsteps of the league’s All-Time Leading Scorer, LeBron James. The former Dallas Mavericks player was the teammate of Dirk Nowitzki during the 2008-09 season and has had a close look at one of the greatest players in NBA history. Therefore, he knows what it takes to be counted among the best.
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As speculations about the next “Face of the league” multiply with LeBron nearing his retirement, Hollins recently declared that Wemby is the perfect fit for the title. The former Mavs big man appeared on the Fan Duel-powered Run It Back pod and portrayed how the French star’s game is different from a traditional big man and is in sync with the current Pace and Space era. For him, the Spurs Center is a highlights machine.
“I think he [Wemby] is gonna be the face of the NBA. He kinda got the swagger, he understands American culture. He is big. Big guys are generally not marketable because we don’t dribble, shoot threes, we don’t have the highlights. This dude is a walking highlight,” Ryan Hollins told Michelle Beadle, Chandler Parsons, and Lou Williams.
Wembanyama has been compared to LeBron James since his much hyped entry into the 2023 NBA Draft. However, after witnessing him in action for almost a season, it is pretty clear that those comparisons weren’t unwarranted. Wemby certainly has the talent and the right personality and mindset to be an all-time great in the league, along side being a marketing asset.
Hollins also added that LeBron James is “passing the torch” to the French sensation. As per Hollins, like James, Wembanyama is both marketable and possesses unparalleled talent, which makes him perfect as the face of the modern NBA. The 20-year-old has indeed turned heads with his masterpieces throughout the season.
Victor Wembanyama has already become one of the faces of the league
Wemby’s highlights have mesmerized NBA legends and the likes of LeBron James have been hyping him up since before he got drafted. In fact, LBJ even called him “The Alien”, a moniker that the French Center adopted immediately and even built his Nike logo based on it. James reiterated his words about Wemby in December last year and in numerous other instances. It indicates that NBA legends are acknowledging both his current work and future potential. Thus, Hollins’ analogy of James handing the torch to Wembanyama has solid grounds. Wemby has piled up 21.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.6 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game this season, per StatMuse.
It is not surprising that the 2023-24 season’s blocks leader is a DPOY candidate as well. He has flirted with multiple triple-doubles and even quadruple-troubles this year. Like LBJ, he is also a solid two-way all-around contributor. Unsurprisingly, the Spurs superstar is a Rookie of the Year frontrunner and will nab the award like LBJ did in 2004.
