Magic Johnson changed the NBA for the better. When the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him #1 in 1979, Johnson became a trendsetter for where the NBA was headed. At the time, it was unheard of to have a player who was 6’9 run the point. But years down the line, this has helped evolve players and positions in basketball, eventually leading to players of all heights developing all the possible skills they can have on the basketball court. In 2024, Victor Wembanyama is a prime example of this.

The San Antonio Spurs have acquired a generational talent in Wembanyama. His skillsets, along with his height, have already shown him to be an unstoppable force in the NBA. While all the credit goes to the hard work that he has put into developing himself to this level, an American sportswriter believes that it was Magic Johnson who started it all.

“Any similarities between Magic Johnson and Victor Wembanyama? I think that the way Magic revolutionized basketball and the way to develop tall players has paved the way for the very special type of player that Victor will become as he progresses in his career,” said Roland Lazenby to RMC Sport.

Roland has done an extensive study on the life of the 5x champion. He recently published an 848-page biography of Magic Johnson suitably titled MAGIC: The Life of Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson. He knows Johnson’s impact on the sport as well as anyone else. Lazenby believes that Wembanyama is able to shine in the NBA with his skills because of what Johnson started in the 1980s.

Magic was revolutionary. He changed how people thought and viewed basketball with his plays. This eventually led to people cherishing these anomalies in basketball, like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic. Jokis is another example where a person’s size doesn’t determine their role on the court.

Just like this, Wembanyama, who is 7’4, can do almost anything on the court. From dribbling to shooting or even taking the ball cost-to-cost Wembanyama can do it all.

Victor Wembanyama is having a historic rookie season

Over the course of his first 30 games in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama has averaged 19.2 PPG and 10.1 RPG. He even became the youngest player in NBA history to record a 20-point, 20-rebound game. Along with this, he has shown that he can use his height to his advantage, as he is currently leading the NBA in blocks with 3.2 BPG.

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As he gets more comfortable with the physicality of the NBA, Wembanyama is sure to get his shooting up as well. But the San Antonio Spurs are currently one of the worst teams in the NBA. But once the team improves as a whole, it is only a matter of time before Wembanyama shoots for major accolades in the NBA.

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Do you think Magic Johnson paved the way for a player like Victor Wembanyama? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!