Giannis Thinks Victor Wembanyama Will Be '1 of the Best Players' in NBA Soon
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has received lofty expectations throughout his first two seasons in the NBA, and those high expectations aren't only set by fans.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said he wants to get his hands on some Wembanyama merchandise because he thinks Wembanyama will be "one of the best players in the league."
“I want Wemby’s first rookie card ever,” Antetokounmpo said, per The Athletic's Brooks Peck. “I think he’s gonna be one of the best players in the league in the next couple of years. I think he will have a very great career moving forward, so — maybe like a jersey, his first jersey or his first basketball shoe when he played his first NBA game, or the first ball that he played with and scored his very first point. You gotta go with Wemby, Steph (Curry), LeBron (James), MJ (Michael Jordan). Those are great investments.”
Antetokounmpo has every reason to believe Wembanyama is on his way to being one of the best players in the league. Through two NBA seasons, he's averaging 22.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. He likely would have been in the mix to win his first Defensive Player of the Year award had his season not been cut short.
Wembanyama had to overcome the first major obstacle of his career last season when he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder in February. The form of blood clotting ended his season after 46 games.
Luckily for Wembanyama and the Spurs, he was cleared to resume basketball activities last month and should be ready to go by the start of the 2025-26 campaign in October.
This offseason, Wembanyama has spent time going through "unconventional" training methods to condition his body for the season ahead. Some of his workouts have included Kung Fu and spending time in a Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China.
Considering how good Wembanyama has been through his first two seasons, the sky is the limit for what Year 3 could look like.
The Spurs showed some improvement in Wembanyama's second season but are still looking to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The upcoming campaign will mark the first full season with Wembanyama playing alongside De'Aaron Fox, and that duo, plus young talent like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, could be enough to give San Antonio a competitive roster.
