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The San Antonio Spurs truly have a generational player in Victor Wembanyama and everyone is taking notice, even former President Barack Obama. On the Young Man & The Three podcast, Obama expressed his admiration for the French phenomenon.
“It’s hard to take your eyes off when (Victor) Wembanyama is on the court,” Obama said. “I mean you’re too young to remember when Durant first came in the league and that was freakish right, you just hadn’t seen somebody that tall with that skill set.”
When Kevin Durant stepped foot into the NBA, no one had seen anything like him. A 6'10 forward who can handle the ball, shoot from anywhere, create his shot, and get to the basket with ease. He is a true three-level scorer. Even the late, great Kobe Bryant said that Durant was the one player in his career he couldn't figure out before he retired.
Wembanyama plays like a bigger version of Durant. While the latter is more polished at this point in his career, the French unicorn has a guard skill set in a center's body. He can handle the ball, shoot, and create his shot. Even Chris Paul said Wembanyama is ‘good at everything' during the Spurs media day. Not to mention, Wemby dominates in the paint, rejecting a plethora of shots and using his size to score on smaller and less agile defenders.
How does Barack Obama see Spurs' Victor Wembanyama?
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Obama grew up in a prime era of basketball. Players like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird brought the game from mediocrity into stardom. Partly due to no one seeing players like Magic and Bird before. They were true guards in a forward's body. The two dominated and won championships throughout their careers. Fast forward to over 40 years, Wembanyama's unique blend drew Obama to not only compare present players, but past ones as well.
“(Larry) Bird was like a legit 6’9 and Magic (Johnson) was 6’9 and those guys were doing things that up until that point big men hadn’t done,” Obama said. “But to see a guy (like Wembanyama), he makes the rest of y’all look tiny. To see his growth curve, it’s hard not to watch them.”
With Paul running the offense in San Antonio, the 2024 Rookie of the Year is poised for another breakout. The Point God has a history of elevating big men to all-star and All-NBA status. DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Ayton are prime examples of good big men becoming great with Paul. Although Wembanyama is already proving to be great, a true point guard could take his game to heights no one knew was possible.
