Victor Wembanyama is on the verge of fulfilling a lifelong dream after helping the San Antonio Spurs take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday to set up an NBA finals showdown with the New York Knicks.
Wembanyama’s 22-point performance was the foundation of a dominant performance as San Antonio stunned the defending NBA champions 111-103 en route to a 4-3 Western Conference finals series sweep.
The victory marked another remarkable step in Wembanyama’s rise as the new face of the NBA, just three years after being selected by San Antonio with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft.
The 2.24m (7ft 4in) Frenchman was hailed as a next-generation talent when he landed in the NBA, with LeBron James hailing the youngster as a “foreigner” rather than a “unicorn”.
With the dust settling on Saturday’s emphatic victory, Wembanyama wasted no time turning his attention to the challenge presented by the Knicks, with game one of the best-of-seven series set for San Antonio on Wednesday.
“Winning the Larry O’Brien trophy (NBA championship trophy) is a childhood dream, and having a great chance to win it, is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Wembanyama told a press conference after the game.
