Victor Wembanyama is only 20 years old, but he’s already one of the biggest basketball stars in the world. The NBA Rookie of the Year made his Olympic debut in his native France, where he displayed some of the jaw-dropping plays that are his trademark in the opening game against Brazil.
France beat Brazil, 78-66, behind a dominant performance from Wenbanyama. The 7’5″ superhuman contributed a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds in the victory, along with four steals and three blocks. While those numbers are impressive, they don’t capture the incredible nature of how Wenbanyama puts those numbers together on the court.
Wembanyama’s most ridiculous moment came in the second quarter. He caught the ball at the goal post, looked up and attacked the middle of the court. Without even needing to put his feet in the restricted area, Wembanyama leapt over the head of a Brazilian defender for a spectacular dunk that immediately reminded everyone of the ending of the original “Space Jam.” You can watch the play here:
NBA legend Dwyane Wade was commentating on the game and was asked if he had ever seen a play like this. “Yeah, in Space Jam,” Wade replied..
Memes are born naturally.
Wenbanyama’s 8-foot wingspan is the longest in the NBA, a concrete example of how his length can be a game-changer.
France was trailing Brazil by 12 points early in the game before Wembanyama took control. In addition to his incredible technical ability, Wembanyama plays with such energy that it’s impossible for someone his size to contain offensive rebounds.
Imagine a point guard throwing an alley-oop pass to Wenbanyama, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a pinpoint pass because his catch radius is so large.
Just throw it and Wenby will probably smash it home and score two points.
France will next face Japan, another game that is expected to be a dominant win for France, before finishing off their group stage against Germany.
