Victor Wembanyama Bullying Anthony Davis Leads to Star Wars Reference From Kevin Garnett

The opening week of the 2025-26 NBA season saw The Houston Rockets take defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to double overtime, while Aaron Gordon dropped 50 points on the Golden State Warriors. Despite those great performances, Victor Wembanyama caught everyone’s attention, with predictions about the havoc he is likely to wreak in the weeks to come. NBA legend Kevin Garnett, in fact, was so impressed that he believes the Frenchman is strong with the force.

The San Antonio Spurs’ first game of the season was a battle of Texas against the Dallas Mavericks. Many eyes were on the top overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg. It didn’t take long for everyone to realign their focus on Victor Wembanyama.

Wemby had made a promising start last season as well but it had been cut short due to a blood clot in his right shoulder. This had led to speculations about how quickly he will be able to perform at a high level again. The answer was, right away.

In just 29 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks, Wembanyama finished with 40 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks in San Antonio’s 125-93 victory. Garnett, on the other hand, was delighted to have called it already.

“40 and 15 on AD and young Coop?” Garnett said on the Ticket and the Truth. “I called this.”

What made Wembanyama’s performance even more impressive was the level of competition he was fighting against. The Spurs star didn’t dominate the Washington Wizards or Brooklyn Nets; this was the Mavs with a healthy Anthony Davis.

AD might be 32 years old, but he is still one of the best defensive big men the league has to offer. Despite his defensive abilities, Wemby made the 10-time All-Star look helpless.

Garnett had one way of acknowledging Wemby’s ascension. “I see you, young Jedi,” Garnett proclaimed. Well, he might actually be, considering the way he was moving up and down the court, with an insane certainty about what he was about to do.

Of course, Garnett would know all about that, having been a master to the young padawan.

Garnett trained with Wemby

It’s necessary to state that Garnett didn’t physically train Wembanyama on a basketball court. But when Wemby sought Garnett’s wisdom and knowledge of the game, he was happy to tell him how to tap into the force.

“He wanted an exchange, and it was more like some intro s***. He’s on a journey to seek knowledge,” Garnett recalled.

Wembanyama didn’t just stop with Garnett; he followed it up with a visit to the Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon, who has become an essential teacher in regard to footwork.

Through Wembanyama’s first two games, it’s clear that his time learning under these legends has been effective. The Spurs are 2-0 to start the season and look to be a sneaky threat for the rest of the Western Conference.