Victor Wembanyama: The 20-year-old came into the league with heightened expectations and, it is safe to say that he delivered much more than that. Unfortunately, while his explosive stat line exceeded the rookie season magic of LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal, his team, the San Antonio Spurs, couldn’t facilitate a decent season for him. Following tonight’s loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, Wembanyama revealed his mantra for this season. The last-seeding Spurs managed to win only 15 games so far.

Reflecting on the record, the 7’4″ French star revealed, “I try to stay a little humble in victory, and don’t collapse under losses. But I think I’m good, because I would never stop enjoying wins. It might be very intense, but I won’t do it for long because we always got the next game to focus on. So, I think the only time we’ll celebrate a win for many days and weeks is when we win the whole thing.”

Many pundits and fans compared Victor Wembanyama‘s entry into the league to LeBron James‘ rookie season. In 2003, King James made massive waves in the NBA world and eventually had huge expectations set around him. 21 seasons into the league, the kid from Akron superseded everyone’s expectations, winning four rings and holding the record for dropping the most points in the history of the league. After James, Wembanyama is the most hyped prospect. 

Wemby also created similar magic ahead of his rookie season. The NBA world had him in the #1 pick conversations almost a year before the 2023 draft. Carrying all the baggage on his shoulder, Wemby had a lot to prove in his debut season. Currently, with four games left in the season, Wemby averages 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. The impressive stat line is standing proof that he has superseded James and Shaquille O’Neal’s cherished rookie season stat line.

Wemby vs Dr. Shaq: Rookie season comparison

After collecting several records this season, Victor Wembanyama has the second-best rookie season of all time. Of course, it’s almost impossible to beat Wilt Chamberlain’s insane rookie season stat line of 38 points and 27 rebounds per game in the 1959-60 season.

In this season, Wemby managed to record a 20-10-3-3 stat line, which has been achieved only 16 other times in the league’s history. The only difference is that players in their prime produced those, but Wemby achieved it in his rookie season. On the other end, Shaq also had an impressive rookie season in 1992-93 season, averaging 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game.

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It may seem like Shaq and James (20.9 pts, 5.5 rb, 5.9 asts) have had a better rookie season average, but Wembanyama overshadowed them by a fair margin. In the add-up stat (points+rebounds+assists+blocks+steals), the French baller scored 49.1, which is better than the rookie season stats of superstars.

The 20-year-old still has an entire career behind him, and the Spurs going forward will build the surrounding team. The NBA world can expect more coming from this franchise. What do you expect from the Spurs in the coming season? A new explosive duo or Wemby’s first championship? Let us know in the comments.

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