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Andrew Lopez, ESPN
LOS ANGELES — Victor Wembaneyama took questions from a stage seated in front of a San Antonio Spurs banner and was told about the statistical feat he just accomplished Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Wenbanyama joins Jamal Tinsley (2001) as the only NBA rookies to record at least 5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks in a game and play a 5×5 game. He also became the second player to accomplish this. He tied Michael Jordan with five blocks and five steals in consecutive games.
Wenbanyama paused to consider Jordan's feat and asked, “Did he accomplish it with a win?”
Jordan did it in his third season and actually won. Wenbanyama accomplished this despite losing. The Spurs, led by Wenbanyama, lost 113-108 to the Lakers on Friday night despite the rookie's best efforts.
Wenbanyama had 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and five blocks, becoming the 15th player in NBA history to record a 5×5 and the first since Jusuf Nurkic in 2019.
That came just one night after he missed out on that feat by falling one assist short on Thursday night against Sacramento. Wembaneyama became the first player in NBA history to average 5×5 in two consecutive games since 1973-74, when blocks were first recorded as an official statistic.
Wenbanyama played 31 minutes, the fewest in a 5×5 match, making him the youngest player to achieve this statistical mark at the age of 20. He also recorded 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks, and 5 steals, becoming the second player to do so alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, who had 4.
But these feats don't mean much to Wenbanyama until he wins, he said.
“For me, that’s secondary,” Wenbanyama said. “I think it will be a good performance in the future, but as of today I am not satisfied with the loss.”
The Lakers' superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis was too difficult for the young Spurs to overcome. James had 30 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, and Davis had 28 points and 13 rebounds.
“Of course it was difficult. [going against] One of the best duos in the league,” Wembaneyama said. “Still, if we play this way, I think we can beat a lot of teams.”
“But I think we matured in the end, because every single one of us was making mistakes every time. Little mistakes, missed layups, turnovers on the ball. We went down, we went back to fourth down.” , we were down seven many times and that's when we made mistakes. So, yeah, it's maturity. ”
After the game, James had nothing but high praise for Wenbanyama.
“He doesn't have a ceiling,” James said. “He can do whatever he wants in his career. He looks like he's having fun playing the game, he looks like he's trying. Just watching from the outside, I'm with him every day. But I said a long time ago how special he is, and it's literally that simple.
“As far as your question is concerned, up until the pandemonium [defensively]in the history of our league, there are players in the league that you have to consider whenever you get around the rim or around the perimeter, and he sits right at the top of that, [if not] You're around the top with the greats. ”
When asked about the best rookies he's seen, James cited players like Zion Williamson, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
“He's one of those guys who had a great rookie season,” James said. “Those who came in, [dominated]. But can you keep it up?We had some really bad people come to our house. [good]. I think the best thing about Wenby among the players I named is his length.
“You can see how tall he is and how tall he is, this guy next to me,” James said, pointing to Davis. ”
With Friday's loss, the Spurs fell to 11-46 on the season. It was their 10th loss in 11 games.
But Wembaneyama's teammates know that repeated losses won't last forever, given how much of a difference the rookie can and has the potential to make.
“I think it shows how special he is,” Spurs guard Devin Vassell told ESPN. “Obviously, we know what we're building around. We know what we have, and we talked about it yesterday, so it's just hard. You sit here and compete day and night, day and night, and you're not winning.
“Obviously it's tough. We're always going to continue to support him. He wants to be great and we appreciate that and we're not just him, but we all want to be great. I think you think so.”
ESPN's Dave McMenamin contributed to this report.
