Giannis: Wembanyama 'has a chance to be one of the best' players ever

Alex Kennedy
Oct 6 2022

Victor Wembanyama's two-game showcase against the G League Ignite couldn't have gone better, as he averaged 36.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks on a 64.8 True Shooting percentage.

Not only are NBA executives salivating at the thought of landing him with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, he has also garnered the attention of the best players in the world.

Last night, LeBron James raved about Wembanyama's unique skill set, saying that while the term "unicorn" has been overused, Victor is "more like an alien" and that he is "for sure a generational talent." On Thursday, Giannis Antetokounmpo also had some high praise for Wembanyama.

"I had the chance to watch him in play in 2021, a year ago, for the first time because my little brother, Kostas, played for ASVEL and they were teammates. And he's incredible, man," Antetokounmpo said while shaking his head. "I believe in 2045, everybody [in the NBA] is going to look like Victor! But his skills, the way he can shoot the ball, the way he can move, he's extremely fast for his size, he can block shots, he can be a threat on the defensive end — he's unbelievable. I believe it's only a matter of time until he's in the league. For him, the key is just to keep getting better, keep staying humble and stay healthy. With a body like that and a skill set like that, as long as he stays healthy, he's going to keep improving. And keep enjoying the game as much as he can.

"He has the chance to be one of the best — not in his age, not in Europe — but one of the best to ever play this game. We have never seen someone like that before. I think it's a good challenge for everybody in the league, to have somebody who's 7-foot-2 and is able to shoot over you and dribble like he's a guard and block shots and run down the floor fast. We gotta get ready for this kid, you know? He's going to be really good."

For more on Wembanyama's game and what NBA talent evaluators are saying about his showing in Nevada, check out what Washington Wizards scout Laron Profit had to say about the phenom.