Wembanyama in awe of Shai, Giannis and Jokic
Wembanyama admires the NBA’s greats, but one thing still amazes him above all: how they manage to dominate for so many years
Getting to the top of the NBA is hard. Staying there for years is even harder. That’s one of the things that impresses Victor Wembanyama most. He spoke about his admiration for the stars who sustain an elite level of play season after season.
As Sports Illustrated’s Matt Guzman reported, the Frenchman singled out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, three of the most dominant players in recent years who have won MVP awards and left their mark on the NBA.
It’s really impressive. It’s impressive because now I’m seeing firsthand what it means and how it feels to play with a purpose. To play in the Finals. To play more than nine months of NBA basketball. And I wonder how these guys do it for 10, 15 years… That’s the most impressive thing about the great NBA players
Victor Wembanyama
To Wembanyama, who’s poised to become one of the faces of the NBA in the years ahead, the real challenge goes beyond reaching the level of the best players. It’s sustaining it. That takes talent, consistency and the ability to handle expectations season after season.
The Frenchman has already shown he has exceptional talent, but he knows that greatness is measured as much by how long you stay at the top as by how high you climb. And that’s exactly what he’s aiming for.