At this point, the only way to stop San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama is if a giraffe learns to play basketball. But even that would be a close fight.
Wembanyama almost single-handedly destroyed the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, as the Spurs rolled to an easy win, 136-108.
The two-time All-Star took advantage of the depleted roster of the Lakers, who played without their big three of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves due to injury management. Wembanyama exploded for a game-high 40 points on 13-of-20 shooting. He also had 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block.
Lakers coach JJ Redick, who probably had a migraine in finding ways to stop Wembanyama, had high praise for the 22-year-old star.
“He's one of the five best players in the world. He's put that stamp on himself. To me, it's more than the counting stats with him because there's such an avoidance of him defensively, and there's an awareness you have to have with him defensively,” said Redick in the postgame conference.
“He impacts the game in ways that don't show up in the box score. On top of that, he's one of one as a human. You could see the collective belief and collective culture that they've established over the last few years with him.”
JJ on Wemby:
"He's one of the five best players in the world. He's put that stamp on himself. He's one of one as a human" pic.twitter.com/tLjMzP8Yiq
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 11, 2026
Wembanyama, who scored 25 points in the first quarter, has quickly established himself as one of the NBA's elite, dismissing early concerns that he might have trouble with the physicality in the league.
Wembanyama's blend of height, skill, and versatility is remarkable, even surreal at times, especially whenever he makes a play that feels physically impossible.
With him playing at a cosmic level, it's not a coincidence that the Spurs have the third-best record at 37-16.
Even a giraffe can figure that out.
