France may have failed in their quest to win a gold medal in men's basketball at the 2024 Olympics, but despite the loss one of the major talking points was San Antonio Spurs recent No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama. Victor Wembanyama had a strong showing in the loss to Team USA prompting a eye-opening prediction from Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson on social media.
In the aftermath of France's Olympics loss to Team USA, Jordan Clarkson posted the following about Victor Wembanyama, “Wemby will win every award in the NBA one day lol.”
It's a bold claim, but one that really does have basis in reality. Wembanyama is unlike any player the NBA has ever seen. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Spurs, Wembanyama's blend of size and skill is unique. He has the size of a center but the skill of a guard/wing.
In the gold medal game, he led France in defeat with a game-high 26 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal. He shot 11-of-19 from the field and 3-of-8 from the three-point line. He was named to the Olympics All-Star five alongside LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and Dennis Schroder.
Victor Wembanyama's legacy is just getting started with Spurs
When the 2024-25 NBA season tips-off, all eyes are sure to be on Victor Wembanyama as he begins his second year with the Spurs. His rookie year culminated in winning Rookie of the Year and finishing third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Wembanyama is clearly on the right trajectory following in the footsteps of former Spurs No. 1 overall picks and Hall of Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan. But can he realistically win every NBA award as Jordan Clarkson predicted?
It's not a stretch to envision him winning MVP at some point. It's also not a stretch for him to eventually win a Defensive Player of the Year Award. If he wins a championship, a Finals MVP Award will likely follow. But barring some incredibly unlikely circumstances, a Sixth Man of the Year Award is probably out of the question. A Most Improved Player Award is not out of the question but might be unlikely. Clutch Player of the Year is also a possibility.
During his rookie year, Wembanyama appeared in 71 games at a little over 29 minutes per game. He averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals and league-leading 3.6 blocked shots. He shot 46.5 percent from the field, 32.5 percent from the three-point line and 79.6 percent from the free-throw line.
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