San Antonio Spurs face of the franchise Victor Wembanyama is coming into his own.
He’s very confident but not arrogant. He’s candid but doesn’t overshare. Most importantly, he’s focusing on his responsibilities to the Spurs and to himself. From taking charge as a vocal leader to approaching players like 14-time All-Star selection Kevin Durant in hopes of training with them, he’s demonstrating a certain type of maturity and displaying intangibles shared by many of those with the ‘it’ factor.
As Wembanyama peels back the layers, fans are seeing a light but serious side to him. This duality was present when he discussed his mindset about winning NBA awards with Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. However, when he mentioned Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, Wembanyama revealed the level of excellence that he’s inspired by.
“When she was in college … the only college player that I was in awe of,” Wembanyama says. “I’m saying men’s and women’s basketball. She’s probably the most impressive.”
Spurs Redeemer Victor Wembanyama Reveals Caitlin Clark Fever
Wembanyama has a great eye for talent.
Clark’s passion is only outmatched by her production and her stats are only overshadowed by her skills. While putting her team on her back nightly, she was usually dominant, all while being at the top of the opponent’s scouting report.
Whether at Iowa or with the Fever, she’s displayed these traits. She’s had help at both places of course. It would be unfair to overlook Hawkeyes stars Kate Martin and Hannah Stuelke or Fevers standouts Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston. Still, in their stellate, she was the brightest star.
3 Of A Kind
Wembanyama can relate to Clark, with many comparing his pre-draft hype to that of LeBron James. Now a four-time champion, four-time MVP, 20-time All-Star and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, people understand what all the fuss was about with The Kid From Akron. While his performance hasn’t been flawless, his trophy case is shimmering and there are quite a lot of people who say he’s the best to ever lace them up.
Le Garçon de Français would like to do even better than that. In fact, there are some active players who believe he could go down as the greatest of all-time. There’s not exactly an exact bar that he would have to reach to do so. However, as a player who looks like he can do everything on a basketball court while standing at a nearly unfathomable 7-foot-4, people are expecting him leave a huge mark in the game.
Clark hasn’t gotten GOAT praise from her peers just yet. Nonetheless, she’s moved the needle in ways that have never been done before. That might have been the case even if she hadn’t put together a historic rookie season. Yet, when Clark really got going —particularly after the WNBA’s Olympic Break —she looked like she could become the greatest point guard in W history, at the least.
For now, she has to settle for being a 2024 All-Star, 2024 Assist Champion, 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, and the first rookie to be named First Team All-WNBA since future Hall of Fame inductee Candace Parker.
