“I would still take LeBron James over Victor Wembanyama without a question” - Former NBA player says
"Would you take a young LeBron James over Victor Wembanyama?" That was the question posed by "Keyshawn, JWill and Max" co-host Max Kellerman on Tuesday.
The hosts discussed the top five NBA storylines, according to co-host and former NBA player Jay Williams. One of the topics was whether teams will tank this season to have a chance at Wembanyama, the incoming rookie star.
In the midst of the discussion, Kellerman posed his question, and Williams answered.
“I would still take LeBron James over Victor Wembanyama without a question,” Jay Williams said.
Johnson argued in favor of Wembanyama, feeling that Wembanyama's size, along with his skill set, would give him the edge.
Williams reminded everyone that LeBron is not that small and has a unique skillset of his own.
Discussion beings at (1:40 mark)
Remembering the LeBron James hype
LeBron James may have been the most-hyped basketball prospect of all time. His time as a high school student predates social media, but everyone still knew who he was. LeBron was on the cover of all the magazines. He was so popular that his high school games were moved from the school’s gym to Akron University just to handle the capacity.
James had multiple high school basketball games that were broadcast on national television by ESPN. The one thing that separated LeBron from other players who entered the league out of high school was that he had a body built for the NBA. At 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, he wasn’t some skinny kid getting ready to take on grown men.
Taking the 7-footer
One point that Keyshawn Johnson had was that, when given the choice, the league usually takes the seven-foot star over the smaller prospect. James, of course, is hardly small, but he is not as tall as Wembanyama. The NBA has shown in previous drafts that the big man has an advantage in these instances.
In the 1984 draft, the Portland Trail Blazers, who had chosen Clyde Drexler the year before, took Sam Bowie at No. 2 as opposed to taking Michael Jordan. In the 2007 draft, the Blazers were there again and took Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. Both Bowie and Oden's careers were derailed by injuries.
The concern with a player like Victor Wembanyama is that he could not last like the previous two big men mentioned, due to injuries. The NBA has seen some skilled 7-foot-4 players before in Yao Ming and Ralph Sampson, whose careers were also cut short due to injury.
To Jay Williams' point, the safest bet may be James, whose 6-8 frame has lasted 20 years, all at a high level. Not having this information and judging both players as 18-year-olds, it still seems like James is the safer pick, but Wembanyama is the more exciting one.