Victor Wembanyama is one of the most hyped stars in recent times. You will have to go back two decades to find a superstar who had similar anticipation before, with LeBron James ahead of his entry into the league. James was a phenom. No one had seen anyone as big as him move as quickly. His size coupled with his athleticism and basketball skills made him unstoppable. Similarly, fans have not witnessed a 7-foot star move and shoot like a guard as Wembanyama does which was a major reason behind the hype. But Shaquille O’Neal does not think so.

Big Diesel feels that Bol Bol has already showcased similar traits. So, he could not understand all the hype around the Frenchman.

Shaquille O’Neal stood by his comparison

Shaquille O’Neal compared Victor Wembanyama to Bol Bol a few weeks back during a segment on TNT. He was not impressed with everyone acting like they had not seen anyone like Wembanyama before. So he reminded them of Bol Bol. “I wanna go at Reggie [Miller] a little bit. He talked about how he’s never seen a guy like Wembanyama. Yes you have, his name is Bol Bol,” O’Neal said.

“Wembanyama is just way more consistent than Bol Bol, but Bol Bol is the first seven-footer that we see doing that,” stated the 2000 NBA MVP. This statement not only shocked the TNT crew but caused a massive debate between fans as well.

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Just two days after the 4x NBA champion’s comments, Wembanyama became the first player to post at least 85 points, 35 rebounds, and 10 blocks in his first five NBA games since Shaq did it in 1992. That’s one way to respond!

It is even more incredible when you consider that Victor did this without any college basketball experience, in a new country, and playing in one of the toughest leagues in the world. Despite all this, he emulated one of the best players ever in Shaquille O’Neal.

Even though Wemby has been continuously playing at a high level, Shaq recently stood firm on his comparison with Bol Bol. “No, I’m not because if you listen to what I said, I said you guys are acting like Wemby is the first 7-foot-5 player that dribble coast to coast, put it between his legs and shot a three [pointer],” O’Neal said as per Sports Illustrated. “[Wembanyama] is not. Bol Bol is the first. I never compared the two. I just said you guys act like you’ve never seen it before, but you have. You’ve seen Bol Bol do it.”

The Los Angeles Lakers legend certainly has a point and is standing firm on it. However, Bol Bol clearly did not come close to achieving Shaq’s rookie achievement which Wembanyama did.

Bol Bol’s entry into the league

Bol Bol is the son of former NBA player Manute Bol, who is one of the tallest players in league history at 7’6″. As the saying goes about falling apples, Bol Bol now stands at 7’3″. After one year of college basketball for the Oregon Ducks, he declared for the draft in 2019. During his time with the Ducks, the towering star displayed his impressive abilities. He could post up, defend bigs, dance with guards, protect the rim, dribble, make 3-pointers, finish lobs, etc. He could certainly go coast to coast as well.

Although he was not consistent, Bol Bol was exciting to watch, and many thought he could be a diamond in the rough. There was some anticipation about his entry into the league as well. Despite this, he slipped into the second round as the Miami Heat drafted him as the 44th overall pick. Then, his draft rights were then traded to the Denver Nuggets. Bol Bol then signed a two-way contract with the Nuggets.

However, he had to bide his time in the G-League with the Windy City Bulls before making his NBA debut. Bol Bol impressed many during his time in the G-League as well. The Nuggets recalled him in November and he made his debut on August 1, 2020, during the latter part of the season. In 11 minutes, he had 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist. Ahead of the postseason, he played six more games and averaged 5.7 points, and 2.7 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game.

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As the Nuggets were eliminated in the Conference Finals, he played four games with much reduced time on the court. In 5.3 minutes per game, he averaged 4.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game. In his second postseason game against the Utah Jazz, Bol Bol scored in double digits for the first time with 11 points.

Bol Bol’s struggle for game time

Even though he only played a total of 170 minutes in 11 games during his rookie season, Bol Bol displayed his remarkable abilities. He could do it all despite his height. Unfortunately, he saw his game time reduced in the next season. He only played 5 minutes per game in 32 games, despite impressing many the previous year. Injuries did not help his cause either. With this, his numbers went down. In the next season, he played only 14 games.

He then moved to the Orlando Magic last season. The center played 77 games for the Magic and started 33. His numbers improved with the increased game time. Being 21.5 minutes per game on the court, he averaged 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. He also had multiple 20-point games while playing over 30 minutes.

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Even though he struggled at times, Bol’s immense potential was there to be seen. Despite this, the Magic waived him which took a lot of fans by surprise. Bol Bol then signed for the Phoenix Suns. However, so far, he only played 3 games with just 2.3 minutes on the floor. It has to be noted that his struggle to get minutes throughout his career is also because of his injury troubles.

Shaquille O’Neal is right, but the Victor Wembanyama hype is true

Victor Wembanyama has been on a tear ever since he entered the NBA. After impressing everyone in the preseason, he continued his dominant performances as the season began. With a historic start to life in the league, he is averaging 18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.6 blocks per game for the San Antonio Spurs. He has started all 14 games playing close to 30 minutes per game.

Wembanyama certainly gets more game time than Bol Bol. However, it is not without reason. When you compare both players’ numbers per 36 minutes, Victor’s stats are better. Bol Bol averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game per 36 minutes his rookie season. Notably, his per 36 points dropped during his time with the Magic.

Wemby is averaging 22.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3.1 blocks per game per 36 according to Basketball Reference. Even though it is not a lot, Wembanyama is already better despite being 5 years younger than Bol Bol. Interestingly, in just his fifth game, he scored 38 points against Bol Bol’s Suns.

Shaquille O’Neal was not happy with the Wemby hype because Bol Bol’s similar plays did not get the same attention. O’Neal is right in pointing out that Bol Bol did not receive the same love as Victor. Many feel the center would have developed more if a team trusted him more and gave him more time. With the right guidance, Bol Bol can potentially become a superstar in the league if he can stay healthy.

However, the attention to Bol Bol does not have to come at the cost of Wembanyama. Sure, he wasn’t the first 7 footer with handles or go coast to coast. But neither was Bol Bol. Notably, O’Neal had handles and could go coast to coast. He had the ability to pass as well. Except for an efficient 3-point shot, a lot of centers over 7 feet possessed similar abilities in the past.

The centers have been evolving, and many have added 3-pointers to their arsenal as well. And Wembanyama skipped a few levels and upped it a notch. For comparison, let’s take Kevin Durant into consideration. He was not the first 6’11” star to do what he does. However, he took it to a different level which is a major reason behind his superstardom. Similarly, Victor Wembanyama has taken it to another level as well which is the reason behind all the hype.

Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssentiallySports.