{"id":89232,"date":"2024-08-07T11:08:10","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T15:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=89232"},"modified":"2024-08-07T11:08:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T15:08:10","slug":"spurs-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-speaks-victor-wembanyamas-goat-potential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/07\/spurs-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-speaks-victor-wembanyamas-goat-potential\/","title":{"rendered":"Multi-Time MVP Speaks On Victor Wembanyama\u2019s GOAT Potential"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>San Antonio Spurs big man <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wembavi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victor Wembanyama<\/a> is widely regarded to be the next face of the NBA. Charismatic showstopper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/edwaran01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Edwards<\/a> has something to say about that. Nonetheless, due to the absolute rarity that is Wembanyama, he\u2019s still in a class of his own as the league prepares for a changing of the guard.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, \u201che has the chance to be the best,\u201d Milwaukee Bucks leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> tells Boardroom.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">In an era where everything is recorded and uploaded, Wemby is doing things on an NBA court that no one has ever seen.<\/p>\n<p>Off the court? By 2028, he will almost certainly embark on half a billion dollars in earnings backed by no state tax.<\/p>\n<p>Mature for his age, and talented beyond\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VxoUYoQDPa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/VxoUYoQDPa<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Boardroom (@boardroom) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/boardroom\/status\/1820971730799845880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot at his age, not in Europe\u2026 but one of the best to ever play this game.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Giannis Antetokounmpo Speaks On Victor Wembanyama\u2019s GOAT Potential<\/h2>\n<p>Antetokounmpo isn\u2019t the first person or player extolling Wembanyama\u2019s potential. Throughout Wembanyama\u2019s rookie season, stars were asked to reflect on their matchup against the 2024 No. 1 pick.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">LeBron James says Victor Wembanyama \u201chas no ceiling\u201d and also rattled off some of the most impressive rookies he\u2019s seen in his career: Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Tyreke Evans among them <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qkgtvf2E6m\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/qkgtvf2E6m<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dave McMenamin (@mcten) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mcten\/status\/1761277286056354246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 24, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In February, four-time NBA MVP Award winner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a> said that Wembanyama had \u201cno ceiling.\u201d The next month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lillada01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Damian Lillard<\/a> \u2014a seven-time All-NBA selection \u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/16\/nba-damian-lillard-offers-scouting-report-2023-no-1-pick-victor-wembanyama\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">compared him to<\/a> future Hall of Fame inductee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Durant<\/a>. A few days later, Dallas Mavericks guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/irvinky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyrie Irving<\/a> \u2014dubbed the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/18\/nba-damian-lillard-kyrie-irving-most-skilled-ever-game-winner\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">most skilled offensive player<\/a> ever\u2014proclaimed that Wembanyama should <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/20\/nba-kyrie-irving-dpoy-award-case-victor-wembanyama\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">win Defensive Player of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Even the tacticians are impressed. Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone calls him the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/04\/03\/nuggets-buy-victor-wembanyama-hype-future-nba\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">future of the NBA<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The assessments from James, Antetokounmpo, and Malone hold the most weight though.<\/p>\n<p>James is in the conversation for the greatest player of all-time. Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP and 2020 Defensive Player of the Year, is the best two-way player of this generation. Malone is coaching <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a>, a three-time NBA MVP. Jokic is arguably the most dominant player in the NBA today.<\/p>\n<p>Wembanyama\u2019s so special of a talent that <em>these<\/em> men are touting him as a potential GOAT. It\u2019s nearly unfathomable and it\u2019s certain mind-blowing. It\u2019s also a spot-on assessment, as the Frenchman possesses a highly unique combination of traits and skills.<\/p>\n<h3>Chopping The Wood<\/h3>\n<p>Wembanyama\u2019s work ethic is among his most important attributes, physical or intangible. His well-documented will to be great isn\u2019t new; many players want to excel at their craft. However, hard work is the secret ingredient for talented hoopers who want to rewrite the history books.<\/p>\n<p>James\u2019s work ethic is so impressive that he\u2019s still being praised for it at 39 years old. Antetokounmpo\u2019s developed both his body and skills over the years after entering the NBA as a gangly and raw teenager. Jokic\u2019s physical transformation is pronounced as well; the Sombor Shuffle isn\u2019t all he\u2019s worked on.<\/p>\n<p>Wembanyama may never turn into the next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/robinda01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Robinson<\/a> no matter how much he works on his body. Nonetheless, in order to reach his potential, he has to chop the wood. Workouts with legendary sixth man <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/crawfja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jamal Crawford<\/a> are one way to stay ahead of the curve.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Starting to get the picture huh\u2026<br \/>\nIt\u2019s just different! \ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude09 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/txoGr8qF2M\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/txoGr8qF2M<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \ud83c\udfc1 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JCrossover\/status\/1803058653177548939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 18, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>An exceptional player already, just imagine if he added a crossover at 7-foot-4?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama is widely regarded to be the next face of the NBA. Charismatic showstopper Anthony Edwards has something to say about that. Nonetheless, due to the absolute rarity that is Wembanyama, he\u2019s still in a class of his own as the league prepares for a changing of the guard. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":89250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34,1608,20,26,15,62,3],"tags":[306,4669],"class_list":["post-89232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spurs","category-basketball","category-nuggets","category-lakers","category-bucks","category-nba","category-news","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-victor-wembanyama"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}