Victor Wembanyama is only 20 years old, but he’s already one of the biggest basketball stars in the world. The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year is making his Olympics debut in his home country of France, and his first game against Brazil featured his signature mix of mind-blowing plays.
France beat Brazil, 78-66, behind a dominant performance from Wembanyama. The 7’5 super human finished with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds, while also grabbing four steals and three blocks in the win. For as impressive as those numbers are, they can’t capture the dazzling nature of how Wemby accumulates them on the court.
Wembanyama’s most ridiculous sequence came during the second quarter. He caught the ball on the post, faced up, and then attacked the middle of the floor. Wemby didn’t even need to put his foot in the restricted area to extend for an amazing dunk over a Brazilian defender that immediately got everyone thinking of the ending of the original ‘Space Jam.’ Watch the play here.
NBA legend Dwyane Wade was doing color commentary for the game, and was asked if he’s ever seen a play like that. “Yes, in ‘Space Jam,’” Wade responded.
The memes are making themselves.
Wembanyama’s 8-foot wingspan is the largest in the NBA. This is a tangible example of how game-changing his length can be.
France trailed Brazil by as many as 12 points early in the game before Wembanyama decided to take over. In addition to being incredibly skilled, Wembanyama also plays with such great energy that he’s impossible to keep off the offensive glass at his size.
Imagine being the point guard who gets to throw alley-oops to Wembanyama. His catch radius is so gigantic that it doesn’t exactly have to be a pin-point pass.
Just toss it up, and Wemby will likely slam it home for two points:
France plays Japan next in another game it will be heavily favored to win. It will close out group play against Germany.
