Victor Wembanyama pretty much became somewhat of a household name over the past few days after his coming out party against the NBA G League Ignite. The 18-year-old French phenom made such big waves that even Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James could not help but deliver some high praise for the highly-touted teenager.
After the Lakers' preseason loss to the Suns, King James spoke in length about Wembanyama's potential. It goes without saying that LeBron is all-in on the Victor Wembanyama hype train (via Kurt Helin of NBC Sports):
“Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years, well he’s more like an alien,” LeBron said. “I’ve never seen, no one’s ever seen anyone as tall as he is, but it’s fluid and as graceful as on the floor…
“His ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot step-back jumpers on the post, step-back 3s, catch-and-shoot 3s, block shots. He’s for sure a generational talent. And hopefully he continues to stay healthy, that’s the most important for him personally, and as you could tell he loves the game. He was smiling a lot while playing the game last night. I think it was the two best players in the draft on the floor last night and they both did their thing.”
LeBron also had some praise for Scoot Henderson, who himself led the Ignite to a 122-115 victory over Wembanyama's Metropolitans 92 on Tuesday. Despite the loss, however, it was Wembanyama and his 37-point outburst that stole the show on the evening.
Wembanyama has caught wind of LeBron's compliments but while the 7-foot-3 big man was very appreciative of the same, Wembanyama is also taking all this with a grain of salt:
“It's obviously an honor to see such great people talk like this about me,” Wembanyama said. “But it really doesn't change anything. … I was like, ‘Oh, that's cool,' but not more.”
It's not that Wembanyama doesn't believe LeBron's statement or that from the multitude of basketball fans and experts who have been singing his praises. For his part, however, this kid just wants to keep his eyes on the prize:
“The thing is, I didn't do anything yet,” he continued. “I didn't play a game in the NBA yet. I wasn't drafted. So, I gotta stay focused to reach my goals because it's going to be tough in time to get better everyday and stay consistent.”
Victor Wembanyama on LeBron's kind words towards him. pic.twitter.com/eqV8vyV9fS
— NBA (@NBA) October 6, 2022
As LeBron James said, Victor Wembanyama is indeed a generational talent. However, what makes him even more impressive is the way he carries himself. This young man has an elite mindset that should push him to just get better at his craft. It looks like there's no doubt about it — Wembanyama is the real deal.
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