By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo is certain that it won’t be long until the NBA is considered to be Victor Wembanyama’s league.
“As long as Victor is healthy, the league is his,” Antetokounmpo said on Wembanyama per the San Antonio Express News.
Antetokounmpo admitted that he hasn’t really kept track of Wembanyama’s performances and what exactly the San Antonio Spurs big man has been doing on the floor. But he’s paying attention to some of the French rookie star’s extraordinary moments, of which there are plenty.
“I don’t watch a lot of basketball,” Antetokounmpo said. “I haven’t watched him play a lot this year, but when we are in the bus or in the plane, you have guys going, ‘Oh, wow, that’s crazy.’ That kind of draws your attention. It’s like, ‘What happened?'”
Giannis, nicknamed Greek Freak himself due to his impressive physical characteristics, is in awe of Wembanyama’s outstanding combinations of size and skill.
“I was thinking, ‘There’s never going to be anyone else like him,'” Antetokounmpo said.. “People don’t understand. He’s like 7-5. I was standing next to him. He’s way, way, way taller than me. He can shoot. He can dribble. Blah, blah, blah. We all know that, right?
“But the feel for the game, that’s the first thing I noticed,” the Milwaukee Bucks star added. He also mentioned how he had taken notice of Wembanyama when he was a teammate with younger rother Kostas at ASVEL Villeurbanne. “He knows, understands the game. I watched him before he was in the NBA, when he was teammates with my little brother (in France). His feel for the game is incredible. You can’t really teach that. You have it or you don’t. You can get stronger. You can get faster. You can dribble better, shoot better, all of this.
Wembanyama is averaging 20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.2 blocks so far in his rookie season. He’s a favorite to win Rookie of the Year, facing heavy competition only by Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren.
Winning the ROY could be just the beginning of several accolades for Wembanyama, Giannis believes.
“As long as Victor is healthy, he’s going to accomplish everything,” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s going to be a champion, be an MVP in this league, do all the things, the goals he has set for himself. That’s pretty much it.”
Photo: Getty Images