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The NBA All-Star break is here and teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and others finally get to take a breather before they reconvene and make their final push towards the playoffs. Superstars like Victor Wembanyama don't get to take a break from basketball completely, as they will be competing in the NBA All-Star festivities this weekend in San Francisco.
Before All-Star weekend kicks off, Wembanyama answered a series of questions about various topics. When asked who the most underrated player in the NBA is, the French star gave a somewhat surprising answer.
“Whose game is most underrated in the league?”
Wemby: “LeBron.” 👑
“What was your ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment?”
VW: “My very first game playing against Luka. On that day I saw a level of basketball that I had never seen before.”
(via @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/WzPSWZMLQH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 14, 2025
“I'm gonna go with LeBron,” Wembanyama said. “Underrated just means you're not rated at your right value right? I think LeBron is underrated.”
The two generational talents have a chance to face off on Sunday night in the new-look All-Star game. Wembanyama was drafted to Chuck's Global Stars, drafted by Charles Barkley while James was drafted By Shaquille O'Neal to Shaq's OGs. The two are on opposite sides of the bracket but could square off in the final in what would be a blockbuster matchup that everybody would be eager to see.
Wembanyama was arguably the most hyped draft prospect since James when he came into the league in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he is living up to the billing thus far. After a very strong rookie season that earned him the league's Rookie of the Year honors and helped him finish second in the Defensive Player of the Year race, but he has truly become one of the best players in basketball in 2024-25.
So far in his second season, Wembanyama is averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds and a league-leading 3.8 blocks per game. If he can keep this pace up through the rest of the season after the break, the former top pick has a chance to earn a spot on an All-NBA team and maybe take home his first Defensive Player of the Year award.
Wembanyama was certainly complementary of James in this answer, and the Lakers star may not be the worst role model for him. James dealt with similar expectations when he came into the NBA in 2003 and has blown them out of the water during one of the best careers the sport has ever seen. The 7-foot-3 behemoth has a long way to go before he gets to James' level as an all-time great, but he is on a very encouraging early trajectory.