Tag: Victor Wembanyama

What do San Antonio Spurs fans think of Victor Wembanyama’s first season on the team?

Has he lived up to the admittedly tall expectations (pun intended) put forth by Spurs fans?

What do fans of the San Antonio Spurs think of French rookie forward Victor Wembanyama‘s first season on the team? The 7-foot-4 wunderkind began the season like Bambi, and ended it a serious contender for the NBA’s 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award.

And while he still has some work to do in terms of what he can accomplish on the other side of the court consistently, Wemby has taken giant steps forward (no pun intended) on both ends of the court this season. Has he lived up to the admittedly tall expectations (pun intended) put forth by Spurs fans at his arrival in San Antonio?

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, linked up with guest Chris Leija to share the fan base’s thoughts on Wembanyama’s rookie season.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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Spurs star Victor Wembanyama cracks alien joke in recent interview

San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama recently cracked a joke about potentially not being human.

The San Antonio Spurs have a generational talent on their hands in Victor Wembanyama. The 7-foot-4 behemoth just wrapped up one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory and will only be looking to improve from here on out. It’s scary to think that Wembanyama just played the worst season of his career, considering how dominant he was.

His presence was especially felt on the defensive end, as he led the league in blocks as a 20-year-old. His massive stature combined with a ridiculous wingspan gives him a huge advantage in the lane, as he’s able to swat away shots that others couldn’t even dream of getting to.

During a recent interview with Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Wembanyama even joked that he may be an alien after all.

“I’m just a human … or am I?” Wembanyama joked.

With Wembanyama leading the charge, the Spurs are in a great place moving forward.

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Chet Holmgren voices who he thinks should win Rookie of the Year

Chet Holmgren voices who he thinks should win Rookie of the Year.

After a successful season in which the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed the Western Conference’s top seed, it’s only reasonable to expect several representatives during this year’s award season.

One is Chet Holmgren, who’ll likely finish top two in Rookie of the Year voting with Victor Wembanyama. It was an historic season for the rookie duo; they led the league in blocks.

Holmgren played an important role in the Thunder’s campaign as part of their young trio. Meanwhile, Wembanyama had a phenomenal rookie campaign and is on his way to being one of the best players in the league.

In his interview on the Boardroom, Holmgren talked about the Rookie of the Year race, saying both he and Wembanyama deserve it and that it’ll be up to the voters to decide the winner.

“All credit to Wembanyama and what he’s doing,” Holmgren said. “I think first of all, we’re both having great years, but at the end of the day I think the voting is in the eye of the beholder.

“Whenever that does happen, win, lose, draw, the focus at the end of the day is our season hopefully continuing on, and what I have to do to help our team continue where they’re trying to go.”

This is a very diplomatic answer by Holmgren, who is as savvy with the media as he is protecting the rim. Odds are, Wembanyama will win the award, but that shouldn’t take away from Holmgren’s special first season back after missing all of last year recovering from a Lisfranc injury.

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Victor Wembanyama declined invitation to join Drake on stage

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama turned down Drake’s invitation because his teammates couldn’t join him.

The greatness of Victor Wembanyama is overwhelming. The San Antonio Spurs big man has completely taken over the league, and ever since the lead-up to last year’s draft, it was clear that he would be a megastar. That said, it would have been hard to predict just how famous the 7-foot-4 Frenchman has become.

When Drake did a concert in Austin, Texas, this past summer, he even knew Wembanyama was going to be huge. So, he invited the big man to come onto the stage with him. During an appearance on the on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, JJ Redick told this story, but the ending wasn’t what most would assume.

When Wembanyama asked if his teammates could join him on stage, Drake’s team said no, so he declined the invitation. (H/t Madison Williams of Sports Illustrated)

“There was a Drake concert in Austin, and he got asked to come up on stage ’cause Drake was doing that with a bunch of NBA guys this offseason,” Redick said. “And Wemby was like, ‘Can my teammates come up on stage with me? ‘Cause they’re gonna be at the concert with me.’… Then Wembanyama’s like, ‘Then I don’t want to do it.’ What 19-year-old kid doesn’t wanna go up on stage with Drake?”

Wembanyama may be famous, but he not even Drake can tear him apart from his teammates.

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Victor Wembanyama refused to join Drake on stage at a concert unless his teammates could too

Victor Wembanyama showed incredible loyalty to his teammates.

During his tour last year, Drake brought several athletes to join him on stage at his concerts. Victor Wembanyama, however, was not one of them.

According to JJ Redick, who recently appeared on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & Kid Mero, explained why the NBA Rookie of the Year frontrunner wasn’t one of those players.

Here is what he said:

“There was a Drake concert in Austin and he got asked to come up on stage because Drake was doing that with a bunch of NBA guys this offseason. And Wemby was like: Can my teammates come up on stage with me? Because they are going to be at the concert with me. And Drake’s camp was like: No. And he’s like: Then I don’t want to do it … What 19-year-old kid doesn’t want to go up on stage with Drake?”

Remember, at the point of Drake’s concert, Wembanyama hadn’t even played any preseason games for the San Antonio Spurs yet.

RELATED: 7 athletes Drake brought out on the It’s All A Blur tour, including LeBron and Bronny

So that is incredible loyalty from the 2023 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick toward players he had never even officially gone to battle with yet.

Wembanyama, however, is built different both on and off the court. In another recent interview, for example, he explained why he never drinks or does drugs.

Here is what he told The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor:

“I feel like I’m immune … Distractions like partying, alcohol, drugs, whatever. Like, why would I ever do that?”

Wembanyama is truly one-of-one and unlike any player we have ever seen before in the NBA.

He has a disciplined focus and mindset that will continue to get him far in this league.

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Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama had an absoultely incredible rookie season

A look at Victor Wembanyama’s incredible rookie season for the San Antonio Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs had a pretty rough season, finishing as the second-to-worst team in the Western Conference. However, the clear bright side to the year was the emergence of rookie Victor Wembanyama as one of the best players in the league. The 7-foot-4 Frenchman has been absolutely incredible up to this point in his career.

Wembanyama led the league in blocks as a rookie, showing off his insane abilities on the defensive end of the court. He’s already one of the best defenders in the league. And as the season went on, his offensive game steadily improved as well.

ESPN’s Numbers on the Board podcast recently discussed Wembanyama’s historic rookie season.

Heading into the offseason, the Spurs need to do all they can to improve around Wembanyama. If they put the right pieces around him, he should be able to lead them to wild success over the next few years.

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Will Victor Wembanyama be even better with the San Antonio Spurs next season?

He challenges our understanding of how player development should work, even before he is done with his inaugural season in the NBA.

While pretty much everyone expected San Antonio Spurs rookie forward phenom Victor Wembanyama to be good in his first season in the NBA. But very few people were expecting his growth at this level to go from gangly rookie coping with the level of defense found in that league to a legit Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

But that is the allure of Wemby — he is like no player we have ever seen before, and challenges our understanding of how player development should work even before he is done with his inaugural season in the Association. Could Wembanyama be even better next season, given development arcs are rarely linear?

Or can we expect a little regression given how fast he’s come along?

To talk it over, the hosts of KABB FOX San Antonio’s “Sneakers and Cleats” podcast took some time on a recent episode. Check it out for yourself in the clip embedded above!

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Victor Wembanyama shares thoughts on Spurs consulting him

Victor Wembanyama spoke about the idea of the San Antonio Spurs consulting him about big-time decisions.

When the San Antonio Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, it started a new era of basketball in the city. The 7-foot-4 Frenchman has exceeded the expectations set for him heading into the year, and that’s saying a lot, considering he was the most hyped-up rookie since LeBron James in 2003.

Now, the Spurs have the tall task of building around him. With guys like Brian Wright and Gregg Popovich leading the way, they have plenty of high-level basketball brains to work with, but Wembanyama needs to be kept in mind. More than that, he should be spoken to about the choices they make regarding the roster.

But Wembanyama doesn’t think so. (H/t Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News)

“They know what they’re doing, but the truth is I don’t know,” Wembanyama said. “I’m still learning.”

Wembanyama may be humble. And he may not think he’s needed in the room for big-time decisions. But he is. And he will be.

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30 Minutes of Victor Wembanyama highlights from first Spurs season

Check out 30 minutes of Victor Wembanyama highlights from his first season with the San Antonio Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs just wrapped up their 2023-24 campaign, but more notably, Victor Wembanyama just finished his first year of NBA action. Heading into the season, expectations for the Frenchman were through the roof, yet he still found a way to exceed them. Wembanyama was incredible nearly every step of the way.

He helped the Spurs improve drastically throughout the course of the season, culminating in them winning seven of their last 11 games. His offense came a long way, but it was his defense that stood out the most, as Wembanyama led the league in blocks in just his rookie season.

It seemed as though there was a new Wembanyama highlight to enjoy every single day. The GD’s Highlights YouTube channel compiled 30 minutes worth of Wembanyama highlights from his first season in the league.

If this season was any indication, Wembanyama is going to be an absolute force for the Spurs for years to come.

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Spurs GM Brian Wright on how to build around Victor Wembanyama

San Antonio Spurs GM Brian Wright says there’s more than one successful way to build around Victor Wembanyama.

When the San Antonio Spurs won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, their future was set. At least, a big part of it was. They won the right to select Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick, and that’s exactly what they did. And throughout his rookie season, Wembanyama hasn’t just lived up to the hyped surrounding him, he’s exceeded it.

Now, the Spurs face the challenging task of building a successful team around Wembanyama. With how great the big man is, winning with him may not prove to be too difficult, but putting the perfect set of talent around him won’t be easy. They need to take a careful approach and figure out what works best for both Wembanyama and the team.

That said, Spurs GM Brian Wright recently spoke about how there isn’t one single way to build around Wembanyama. (H/t Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News)

“I don’t know that there’s one blueprint,” Wright said. “He’s so dynamic that I think you can build the thing in a lot of different ways and so we’ve got to keep chipping away with that.”

This summer should be all about finding the right team to help Wembanyama win both now and for the foreseeable future.

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