Three years into his career, Victor Wembanyama has continued to astound fans around the league. That combination of size, shooting, and shot-blocking continues to bend opposing game plans every night, and now, one former player believes we’re witnessing something that hasn’t existed in decades, as well as an upcoming uncertainty.

“Wemby is the best cheat code in the NBA since Wilt [Chamberlain], and if people think they can’t win it all,” Eddie A Johnson, 17-year veteran and 1989 Sixth Man of the Year, turned analyst, said. “They don’t get how this man impacts the game. Players will take major pay cuts to play with him soon!”

The boldest part of Johnson’s statement wasn’t even the Wilt Chamberlain comparison, but the projection that veterans will eventually sacrifice money to play alongside Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.

That kind of pull is usually reserved for dynastic teams, like the 2016-2019 Golden State Warriors with amazing supporting casts, or the LeBron James led 2011-2014 Miami Heat. Wembanyama is still in the beginning of his career, which is exactly what makes the prediction so striking.

Most people know that the Spurs are still an extremely young team, with rookie Dylan Harper and sophomore Stephon Castle serving major rotation roles in the backcourt as they continue to grow. That, combined with Wembanyama continuing on his trajectory of elite defense with solid offense, might make Johnson’s take read more like an early warning instead of a hot take.

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The Spurs already look like a Western Conference powerhouse, and there’s still years ahead of them. Johnson’s take might end up coming true soon, and the path to success is already being built

Is a New Free Agent Destination Emerging in San Antonio With Victor Wembanyama?

The initial comparison isn’t anything to scoff at either. Eddie Johnson is a respected analyst and voice online and in NBA circles, and invoking Chamberlain puts Victor Wembanyama in the highest historical tier possible.

Obviously, we all know that Chamberlain was the image of dominance: strategy-shifting level scoring to facilitate generational offensive prowess while also being an out-of-this-world defensive matchup. That’s where the “cheat code” comparison comes from.

At 7’4″ with deadeye perimeter shooting, guard level mobility despite his size, and the single best rim protector in the NBA without comparison, Wembanyama causes opposing teams to rethink everything. He spaces the floor like a wing, deters more shots than nearly any defender, and has explosive stat lines almost nightly.

Just today, despite shooting an abhorrent 6-16 from the floor against the Detroit Pistons, he still ended up with 21 points, but more importantly, 17 rebounds with eight offensive boards, as well as a monstrous six blocks. He has already elevated the Spurs this season to the #2 spot in the West, and if things keep going as well as they are, they might even make it to the Conference Finals.