The whispers started years ago in Paris, long before the world had any real proof of existence. They were half rumor, half warning—about a seven-foot teenager who moved with the ease and fluidity of a guard,
someone whose limbs seemed too long for the court yet too coordinated for reality. Back then, skeptics dismissed him as a project. Too good to be true. A wish. A shaky clip from a gym that could’ve been doctored or distorted. The phrases “too thin” and “too unusual.” “Too new-school” was often heard from media talking heads.
Media figures from both the United States and Paris began to speak of a young kid named Victor, and when he declared for the NBA Draft, those whispers only grew louder. “The best prospect since LeBron James”, they said. “He could be the best player to ever touch a basketball”, they exclaimed. Now in his third season, Victor Wembanyama is proving those whispers to be correct. And the best part? He’s only getting started.
On October 22, 2025, the world watched something that didn’t just validate the early believers – he also proved his skeptics wrong too. Wembanyama entered his third year stronger, sharper, somehow even more impressive. In the second quarter of the Spurs’ game against the Dallas Mavericks, he twisted past Anthony Davis for an and-one that felt more like an arrival announcement: he wasn’t coming; he had already arrived.
After the game, those same media circles said “Wemby is back”. That could be looked at as fact but also as a warning to the rest of the NBA. Why? Because what both the league and the world is now seeing from Wembanyama defies every basketball precedent that came before it. And perhaps, in some ways, it defies belief.
As the 2025-26 season is a month underway, teams began doing something natural in response: pushing back. It was evident in the Spurs’ loss to the Phoenix Suns on November 2. They got lower into his body. They pushed him, bumped him, tested the strength beneath that spider-like frame. At first, it was clearly frustrating for Wemby. When the conversation shifted toward concern, Wembanyama answered with plays that looked like basketball being played on NBA 2K with the sliders turned on: blocks that shouldn’t be reachable and finishes that shouldn’t be possible.
Wembanyama is averaging 26.2 points and 13.5 rebounds per game on the season but the numbers alone fail to tell the whole story. In this new era of scoring, offenses rely on spacing more than ever. For Wemby, he stretches the floor vertically, diagonally, and even psychologically. Every time he has the basketball, it feels like a new must-see event is about to take place. Even the best players like Shaq, Kobe, Jordan, and Jokic all had or have weaknesses of some sort. Wembanyama doesn’t appear to have one. And that should terrify everyone.
Defensively, Wemby may block around four shots per game, but it’s his presence that makes the biggest impact. His rebounding impact alone places him among some of the best interior players of the modern era. With him on the floor, the Spurs defend like a top-three NBA unit. Without him, they fall to near the bottom. Don’t believe it? Take a look for yourself:
By the numbers
Against Wembanyama:
- Opponents shoot 11.1% worse at the rim—a mark surpassing Rudy Gobert, Tyson Chandler, Alonzo Mourning, and even Dikembe Mutombo.
- Teams take 12.5% fewer shots at the rim—among the most drastic deterrent effects ever recorded.
- Within six feet, opponents attempt just 24.3 shots per game—the lowest figure in the league.
Wembanyama’s combination of height, coordination, mobility, and two-way impact simply does not exist anywhere else. He is basketball’s version of a football quarterback with a powerful arm and even faster legs. He’s statistically elite and even more valuable than the numbers can express.
To believe Wembanyama is unstoppable means we are overlooking the one area still holding him back: processing speed. Teams like the Suns have exposed his tendency to miss early traps. He loses helpers behind him. He dribbles into congestion. He struggles to read double-teams a beat early. But Wemby will learn and get better. How do we know? Because Giannis learned this. Davis learned it. Embiid learned it. It’s the final evolution of every great big. And once Wemby masters it, the last layer will fall away.
The thing about Wembanyama isn’t just that he changes games. It’s that he changes the way people understand games. He moves like a glitch in real time. He defends like a myth. He scores like a player trapped inside the frame of a cathedral. At just 21 years old, this impossible blend of skill, physics, intimidation, and imagination is only the beginning. What we’re seeing is the first contact by the alien. What comes next may redefine the sport.
For a more detailed view, check out Michael MacKelvie’s YouTube video, which inspired this post.
