As expected, the San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with their #1 pick in the 2023 Draft. Even though there were 57 other youngsters who got drafted into the league, Wemby has managed to steal the show and be in the limelight of the media throughout the draft process. Looking at the attention the 7-foot-4 prodigy is receiving, Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t help but recollect the days when he was the most talked-about prospect entering the NBA. Amid the hype surrounding the French phenom, Shaq posted a highlight reel from his rookie season.
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Having dominated college basketball for three years representing Louisiana State University, O’Neal was selected by the Orlando Magic with their #1 pick of the 1992 Draft. As expected by many, Shaq was a nightmare for any defender to guard. Entering the league as a 301-pound Center with merely 10% body fat, the rookie was a physical specimen like no one had ever seen before.
Shaquille O’Neal shares his rookie highlight reel
It didn’t take long before the Diesel asserted his dominance at the NBA level. Commanding over the paint and bullying the established stars of the league, the 20-year-old would stuff the stat sheet on a nightly basis.
Being the first rookie to be voted an All-Star starter since 1985, Shaq averaged a staggering 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game. Despite missing out on advancing to the postseason, O’Neal bagged the Rookie of the Year honors.
Reminiscing his first-ever season in the league, the TNT analyst shared a highlight reel from the 1992-1993 campaign on his Instagram story that was posted by Basket Point.
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Have a look at the screenshot of the 51-year-old’s Instagram story in NBA Celeb Update’s tweet.
Shaq reminisces his rookie season where he was 301lbs and had 10% body fat pic.twitter.com/RdvvC6azf3
— What are NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) June 25, 2023
As seen in the video, “Superman” dunked on several legends such as Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Robert Parish, and many others.
The 7-foot-1 big man’s rookie season is one of the most successful rookie seasons in league history.
Victor Wembanyama is expected to have a Hall-Of-Fame career
Ever since the Metropolitans 92 concluded their two-game exhibition series against the G-League Ignite, several analysts dubbed Wembanyama as the greatest prospect since LeBron James. Not giving in to the hype, Wemby went on to put up ballistic numbers and win the Most Valuable Player as well as Defensive Player of the Year honors at the LNB Pro A.
As he begins his journey in the NBA, the French phenom is expected to turn around the Spurs’ fortunes. With pundits projecting the 19-year-old to make an instant impact, there is a huge amount of expectations on the unicorn’s shoulders.
Under the mentorship of Gregg Popovich, who already has ample experience in guiding foreign players, we should see Victor flourish in the league. It’ll be interesting to see how much time the teenager requires before he finds his rhythm.
