Victor Wembanyama sends rival flying with first NBA dunk and shines on court in electric debut for San Antonio Spurs
The first dunk of Victor Wembanyama’s NBA career was a promising sign of things to come.
The generational talent, who stands at 7-foot-4, easily slammed home a basket in the first quarter of the San Antonio Spurs’ 122-121 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
Wembanyama – already better known as just Wemby -- finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting with five rebounds, two steals and a block.
Not bad for a 19-year-old from France who was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft and is already being teased as the eventual replacement to LeBron James.
While James enters a new season as the oldest player in the NBA, Wembanyama is just getting started in the league.
On Monday he matched up against OKC's Chet Holmgren, another top prospect who missed the entire 2022-23 season due to a foot injury.
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Holmgren scored 21 points and collected nine rebounds in the first half.
Wembanyama collected a length-of-the court pass, paused, shook off a leaping Thunder defender, and proceeded to drive home an easy basket before briefly hanging on the rim and jumping onto the court.
The sight of the 7-4 rookie barely having to leap to complete the dunk was instant hope for Spurs and NBA fans everywhere.
Wemby has a long way to go before he even comes close to reaching the hype that has followed him for more than a year.
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Holmgren’s injury last year is a reminder that the NBA can be cruel for tall, rangy big men with rare athleticism.
But if it all comes together for Wembanyama, he’s going to change the league.
Wemby's first dunk could be the beginning of a career that guides the Spurs into a brilliant new era.