The Frenchman became the youngest player in history to sign a 5×5 (at least five of each stat), but the ‘King’ prevailed
“This kid is special,” LeBron James says on his social media. Maybe he looks at Victor Wembanyama and sees himself in the mirror. They lead somehow parallel careers. The two chosen ones, the two players called to change NBA history.
They collided in a galactic duel, more spectacular than expected. And LeBron , in his eternal youth, knew how to knock down the number 1 of the Draft. The Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs (123-118), although that was perhaps secondary considering the level of the battle.
Wembanyama went further. He was gradually improving his performance in the regular season, taking leadership and generating more with less. He made, in the once Staples, a mammoth performance: 27 points (7/16 TC and 3/8 T3), 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 blocks and 5 steals.
He is the youngest player in history to sign a 5×5, snatching the achievement from Andrei Kirilenko (he was 22). And the fastest, in only 30 minutes and 55 seconds of play.
LeBron y Wembanyama, en acción.
But LeBron snatched the win. The ‘King’ scored 30 points (13/22 TC), 7 rebounds and 9 assists. He was supported by a good Anthony Davis (28+13).
The Spurs got to within three (93-90) in the last minute of the third quarter, but the ‘laker’ acceleration was enough at the beginning of the last period. A three-pointer by Austin Reaves, the ability of LeBron against any trap proposed by Popovich and the surprising appearance of Jaxson Hayes (his only 4 points in a minute) to score above the rim were enough to build the gold and purple triumph.
The battle was formidable. LeBron didn’t just leave the praise on social media, logically.
“He’s special and he has an amazing coach who will make sure he does things the right way,” James explained.
“He has no ceiling,” he added. And he compared him to the rookies who have surprised him the most throughout his career. The list left by the ‘King’ is a motley one: Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Tyreke Evans.
NBA heritage. When LeBron was making his league debut, Wembanyama wasn’t even born. And when he received the rookie of the year, Wembanyama was only 4 months old.
Two decades later, they are references and idols. For example, LeBron was the most watched player last year (2.8 billion viewers) and Wembanyama the third (1.3 billion). Steph Curry just sneaks in between them (1.6).
