Spurs face Knicks in NBA Finals
Victor Wembanyama will aim to cement his status as the new face of basketball
LOS ANGELES
Victor Wembanyama will aim to cement his status as the new face of basketball on Wednesday when he leads the San Antonio Spurs into game one of the NBA Finals against a New YorksKnicks line-up bidding to end a 53-year title drought.
Just three years after landing in the NBA as the top pick in the 2023 draft, French superstar Wembanyama is now contemplating the first NBA Finals of his career and the realization of a childhood dream.
The 7-foot-4 (2,24m) Frenchman has inspired a startling transformation in the Spurs’ fortunes in a remarkably short period of time.
After winning just 22 games in Wembanyama’s first season, and 34 games last year, San Antonio roared into title contention this season with a dazzling 62-win campaign.
They have followed that up with a superb march through the playoffs, culminating in an against-the-odds defeat of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, beaten in a game-seven thriller on Saturday.
It has left Wembanyama well ahead of schedule on a trajectory likely to place him among some of the greatest players ever to have graced the NBA.
Michael Jordan won the first of his six NBA championships at the age of 28. LeBron James won his first championship ring at the age of 27. Wembanyama, still only 22, could slice years off those benchmarks.
James himself famously described Wembanyama as an “alien” before the 2023 draft, describing the Frenchman’s combination of physical and defensive presence aligned with a deftness of touch and shooting prowess as virtually unprecedented.
Wembanyama has more than lived up to that billing with a string of other-wordly performances in the playoffs, where he is averaging 23.2 points per game, with 10.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.5 blocks.
