Only a minute and 21 seconds left, the G-League Ignite up by 2. Scoot Henderson has the ball, dribbles it down to the paint, steps back, and tries to seal the game with a long 2, but VICTOR WEMBANYAMA WITH A MONSTER REJECTION. 7 foot 4 18-year-old French prodigy rejected future star Scoot Henderson from a game winning shot, grabbing the ball and pushing it down. And with 30 seconds on the clock, Victor knocked down a corner leaning three, winning the Metropolitans 92 the game at Las Vegas on October 3rd, 2022.
Victor Wembanyama, is a 21 year old NBA player standing at officially 7 foot 5 according to the NBA, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs. He has several nicknames, “Wemby”, a shortened version of his last name, is the most popular one, and people also call him “the alien”, and the reason why will be explained further in this article.
The moment above was from a game in Las Vegas on Oct. 6, 2022. Wemby was only 18 at that time, playing for the Metropolitans 92, a basketball club in France. This team faced off against the LA Ignites led by a future star prospect in Scoot Henderson, who was projected to be the second overall pick behind Wemby, and the battle between the two most promising talents at that time turned out to be Wemby’s declaration game to the whole world. Victor Wembanyama dropped 37 points in this game, blocking five shots, and shot 7 for 11 from the three point line. If these statistics aren’t understandable, just know that nobody in basketball history has had this kind of performance, and now, an 18 year old managed to do this.
It was such an entertaining game to watch, but not only that, it was the game that all fans and players had eyes on, to see if this so-called “generational talent” was a real deal. Some sports analysts before this game said that Wembanyama’s frame was too fragile, and he wouldn’t survive in the NBA’s intense competition, while other reporters said that Wembanyama would be injury prone with that size and length. However, Wemby showed the world who he was at the age of 18, and silenced all the doubters.
“Everybody’s been a unicorn for the last few years, well he’s more like an alien.” LeBron James, one of the greatest basketball players ever, said in an interview after this game.
However, nobody knew that this mind-breaking performance was only the start of Wembanyama’s career.
