LeBron James, NBA Fans Wowed by 'Special' Victor Wembanyama After 5x5 Game vs. Lakers

It's not easy to make an 11-46 team must-see television, but Victor Wembanyama is doing that for the San Antonio Spurs right now.

In their 123-118 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, the Spurs rookie phenom put up 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and five blocks in 31 minutes.

Wembanyama's performance earned high praise from LeBron James, who called him "special" after the game:

According to the NBA, Wembanyama is both the youngest player to record a 5x5 game and he did it in the fewest minutes played in such a game.

James wasn't the only one in awe of what Wembanyama has shown he's capable of doing already at 20 years old. Fans and analysts had a lot to say about it, as well:

There was some discussion this week about the future face of the NBA in the wake of James' comments during All-Star weekend about not having much time left in his career.

It's a great time for star power in the league, with players like Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić, Jayson Tatum and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having already established themselves as superstars.

There are also the up-and-coming players who look like superstars, including Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards and Chet Holmgren.

But Wembanyama is reaching a level where he could clearly be the best player from the entire group. He's averaging 20.6 points on 46.6 percent shooting, 10.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in just 28.5 minutes this season.

There's still a long way for the Spurs to go before they are challenging for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, but they can feel confident about the future knowing they have one of the best young players the NBA has ever seen on their roster.