(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
No player in NBA history has had more hype coming into the league as a rookie than LeBron James, as he was dubbed the next big thing in the league coming out of high school and was actually able to live up to that hype over the course of his career.
This year, however, another player is receiving hype on the same level as James, with many believing that Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs may be the real deal and could be in the running for best player in the league in the near future.
Whenever a player gets this kind of hype before they’ve played a minute in the NBA, especially coming from overseas where the game is played a bit differently, it comes with a fair amount of skepticism, and justifiably so.
Few have wanted to admit that Wembanyama is a player like we’ve never seen before, but the more he was seen on the basketball floor during the preseason, the more he convinced his doubters wrong.
One of the biggest critics of NBA big men today is four-time champion Shaquille O’Neal, who knows what it takes to dominate as a seven-footer in this league.
O’Neal admits that he’s already seen enough to put Wembanyama in an elite class of big men, via NBA on TNT and Legion Hoops.
Shaq on Victor Wembanyama:
“I’m not gonna put a lot of pressure on him. He’s 19, a rookie. But from the highlights I’ve seen, he’s definitely in the ‘big man alliance’ already. And I never give it up that early.”
(via @NBAonTNT, h/t @Josh810) pic.twitter.com/cjooOvAHav
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 25, 2023
Obviously, Wembanyama has yet to play a game of any meaning for the Spurs, but that will change this week when he leads San Antonio against fellow international product Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
It will be must-see TV for basketball fans in the same way it was when James made his debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2003, as everyone will want to get a look at this kid who plays the game his own way.
The post Shaq Has High Praise For Victor Wembanyama appeared first on The Cold Wire.