"Let's not get it twisted": LeBron James in awe of Victor Wembanyama, yet calls for measured excitement
LeBron James was in awe of what Victor Wembanyama did on Friday night against the LA Lakers. Wembanyama recorded an impressive and rare 5x5 game in the loss to James and the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, but "The King" wants everyone to calm down on the Wemby hype.
In his postgame interview, James saaid that he was impressed by what the seven-foot-4 San Antonio Spurs superstar did but cautioned that Wembanyama is not the first player to be this good as a rookie in NBA history.
"Let's not get it twisted. He's not the first guy who's had an impact as a rookie," James said.
Victor Wembanyama became the 22nd player in history to have a 5x5 game. He had 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and five blocks in the 123-118 loss to the LA Lakers. He shot 7-for-16 from the field, including 3-for-8 from beyond the arc, in just 30 minutes of action.
James, meanwhile, felt great after missing the Lakers' game against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday due to an ankle injury. He ended with 30 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.
"I felt pretty good," James said. "I was more surprised by how well my wind was, to be honest. But ankle did OK. Did so-so. I was happy to get out there and help my team win. That was most important."
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LeBron James thinks Victor Wembanyama is special
Before the LA Lakers collided with the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, LeBron James had a chance to talk about Victor Wembanyama during the NBA All-Star Weekend.
James had nothing but praise for the French phenom and reckons he's a special player in the right situation with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
"I've been asked about Victor before, and I just think he's going to continue to get better and better and better and better the more games he plays," James said.
"He has one of the greatest coaches in basketball history in Coach Pop, and he's going to learn it the right way by just being around Pop. Pop is one of my favorite guys."
Wemby is averaging 20.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.3 blocks in just 28.5 minutes per game this season.
He's still a teenager and will only continue to get better. It's kind of scary to think that there's a lot of room to grow for the young star, especially if he gets surrounded by better teammates.
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