Victor Wembanyama Starts Off His Illustrious Starting 5 List With Stephen Curry; Michael Jordan and LeBron James Only Come in Later: “Haven’t Proven Anything”

Advait Jajodia | 24/06/2023
Victor Wembanyama Starts Off His Illustrious Starting 5 List With Stephen Curry; Michael Jordan and LeBron James Only Come in Later: “Haven’t Proven Anything”

Victor Wembanyama has been the talk of the town for the past few months. While the French phenom was always a lock at #1 at the 2023 NBA Draft, yesterday night we officially witnessed the San Antonio Spurs pick him first overall. Considered to be the greatest draft prospect since LeBron James, analysts and enthusiasts have been raving about the 19-year-old for some time. Now that Wembanyama’s career as an NBA pro has officially begun, we’ll soon get a glimpse of his greatness. A humble character, the 7ft 4 prodigy was recently asked to list his all-time starting five. Starting with Stephen Curry, Wemby also added Michael Jordan and LeBron James on his list, along with two other legends of the game.

The former Metropolitans 92 superstar had a phenomenal season. Averaging 21.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2.4 assists per game, Wemby won the Most Valuable Player as well as Defensive Player of the Year honors. However, the unicorn gained attention from NBA scouts during the Metropolitans’ exhibition games against the G-League Ignite.

Ever since the two-game series against Scoot Henderson and co., Wemby has been compared to all-time greats, like Michael Jordan and LeBron James, in terms of his ceiling in the league.

Victor Wembanyama keeps himself out of his all-time starting five

On Draft night, For The Win USA Today asked several rookies to name their all-time starting five “who could save the planet”. While Ausar Thompson had a rather peculiar list, Wembanyama had a more “acceptable” answer.

Apart from naming Steph, Jordan, and Bron in the starting five, Victor would go with Shaquille O’Neal for the Center position. Unsurprisingly, the Spur selected a legend from his franchise to play the Power Forward role– five-time NBA champion Tim Duncan.

“I’ll go with Steph, Jordan, LeBron, Timmy (Duncan), Shaq.”

Immediately after, Wemby was informed that he could add himself to the list as well if he wanted to. However, displaying humility, the 2024 Rookie of the Year favorite stated that he hasn’t yet proven his worth to join the esteemed list.

“Haven’t proven anything, man.”

 

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Makes much more sense at this stage of Wemby’s career. The youngster is already facing a mountain of expectations.

We could see Wembanyama in Summer League action on 7th of July

Even before he got his name called out in the draft, Wembanyama had revealed that he would be participating in the Summer League. With the tournament kick-starting on July 7, the Spurs are set to play on opening night.

With San Antonio’s first contest scheduled against the Charlotte Hornets, we could potentially see the #1 pick Victor Wembanayama and #2 pick Brandon Miller go head-to-head. Have a look at Complex Sports’ tweet.

Hopefully, the youngster lives up to the hype in his opening game. However, fans would probably want him to not play too hard to save himself for the season.

Post Edited By: Satagni Sikder
LeBron James Michael Jordan NBA Shaquille O'Neal Stephen Curry Tim Duncan Victor Wembanyama

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Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over four years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,700+ articles.

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