Fresh off winning Rookie of the Year unanimously, we look back at Victor Wembanyama’s top 5 games from his rookie season.
Victor Wembanyama came into the 2023-24 NBA season with the most hype surrounding a rookie since LeBron James , and he lived up to it. He capped off his rookie season by winning Rookie of the Year, grabbing all 99 votes for first place, becoming the first unanimous winner of the award since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015-16. He joined Tim Duncan and David Robinson as the only San Antonio Spurs to win the award.
The French phenom also finished second to Rudy Gobert in the Defensive Player of the Year voting after leading the league in blocks. His rookie year was full of impressive stat lines. These include multiple 20–20 games, a 5×5 game, and a triple-double with blocks.
Here is a ranking of his top five games from his rookie season.
5First 20-20 Game in Loss to Bulls
Wembanyama becomes the youngest player to record a 20-20 game
On December 8th, Wembanyama dropped 21 points, 20 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a loss to the Chicago Bulls . With this performance, he became the youngest player in NBA history with 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game. He had 10 points and 11 rebounds at halftime, marking his 10th double-double of the season and his first in a first half. He also added 2 blocks in each half.
This was just the beginning for Wembanyama, as he would drop another 20-20 games later in the season and later on this list.
4Clutch Performance Against Suns
Wembanyama showed that he could take over a game late in a win over the Suns
In just his fifth career game, Wembanyama scored a then career-high 38 points against the Phoenix Suns . He also added 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks while shooting 57.7 percent from the field. He became just the third teenager to record 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a game since blocks started being tracked in 1973-74, joining LeBron James and Kevin Durant .
The Suns had erased a 27-point Spurs lead with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 116 behind Kevin Durant and Devin Booker . Wembanyama then took over, scoring 10 points over the final four and a half minutes.
Wembanyama was able to outduel Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in the fourth quarter, leading the Spurs to a 132-121 win in Phoenix. This was the first of many clutch performances by the rookie during the season.
340-20 Game Against Knicks
Wembanyama became the youngest player to record a 40-20 game in a win against the Knicks
In a March 29th game against the New York Knicks , Wembanyama scored a career-high 40 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists in 38 minutes. The Spurs, behind Wembanyama, were able to overcome Jalen Brunson ’s career-high 61 points in a 130-126 win in overtime.
With the performance, Wembanyama became the first rookie to post a 40-20 stat line since Shaquille O’Neal in 1993.
2Historic Triple-Double Against Raptors
Wembanyama posts a triple-double with blocks
Victor Wembanyama became just the fourth rookie in NBA history to record a triple-double with blocks in a win over the Toronto Raptors . He had 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 blocks. He also added 5 assists and shot 71.4% from the field.
With this performance, Wembanyama showed that he will more than likely record the NBA’s first quadruple-double since David Robinson in 1994.
15×5 Against the Lakers
Wembanyama became the youngest player to record a 5×5 game
In a matchup between two of the most hyped prospects ever, Wembanyama posted one of the most impressive stat lines of his young career. He had 27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He became the youngest player in NBA history to post a 5×5 game. He also did it in only 31 minutes, the quickest time to post a 5×5 game.
Although it came in a loss, it does not take away from how impressive this stat line is. Only 15 players have ever recorded a 5×5 and only one other rookie, Jamaal Tinsley in 2001, has recorded one. The crazy thing is that the night before, Wemby came one assist shy of posting a 5×5 against the Kings. This game showed that Wembanyama will be special on both sides of the court during his NBA career.
