Former NBA 7-foot-4 center Boban Marjanovic stood in awe next to San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama. Hall of Fame center Yao Ming (7-foot-6) and Tacko Fall (7-foot-6) are the only centers taller than Marvanovic to have played in the NBA over the past 20 years before the 7-foot-5 phenom. Boban, who isn't used to looking up toward people, had to when he faced the future face of the NBA in Wembanyama, and the two made eye contact.
Marjanovic talked about meeting Wembanyama in person for the first time.
“I'm 7'4,” Marjanovic said. “I was looking up at Victor Wembanyama…no way.”
Wembanyama, 21, could reach 7-foot-7, joining Gheorghe Mureșan and Manute Bol as the tallest players in NBA history. Entering his third season, Wembanyama is projected to be a perennial All-Star, coming off his first appearance. It's what truly separates him from the association's historically tall players, most of whom led long NBA careers, but never came close to reaching the plateau Victor has in such a short period of time.
Wembanyama posted 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game last season. His impressive shooting splits — 47.6/35.2/83.6 — show promise for a 7-foot-5 stretch big. It's still early, and Wemby is still growing.
How Hakeem Olajuwon helped Spurs' Victor Wembanyama
In an effort for his game to reach new heights, Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama worked out with Hakeem Olajuwon over the summer, as the Hall of Fame center spent time with the Spurs center. Wembanyama found chemistry with Olajuwon, he said, per ESPN's Michael C. Wright.
“His advice felt natural. Even though it was a lot, it felt like I was absorbing it every day,” Wembanyama said. “It looked like it was a pleasure for him to teach. I would want to go again for sure.”
The two worked on footwork, leverage, and post moves in the paint, as Wembanyama revealed he had a very busy offseason in preparation for the upcoming season.
“I can assure you nobody has trained like I did this summer,” Wembanyama said. “I think I’ve maxed out what I could do in one offseason. Now, I need to play basketball.”
The Spurs will face the Mavericks on Opening Night on October 22.
