Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama posts 5×5 night in loss to Lakers،
LOS ANGELES – Victor Wembanyama answered questions at the podium, seated in front of a San Antonio Spurs banner, and was informed of the statistical feat he had just achieved Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Wembanyama joined Jamaal Tinsley (2001) as the only NBA rookies to play a 5×5 game – posting at least 5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks in a game – and also became the second player to have 5 blocks and 5 steals in consecutive games, joining Michael Jordan.
Wembanyama paused to reflect on Jordan's feat, then asked, “I wonder if he did it in terms of wins.”
Jordan, who did it in his third season, actually did it with wins. Wembanyama did it with defeats. Wembanyama's Spurs lost 113-108 to the Lakers on Friday night despite the rookie's best efforts.
Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks to become the 15th player in NBA history to record a 5×5, and the first since Jusuf Nurkic in 2019.
It came just one night after he narrowly missed the feat Thursday night in Sacramento, missing an assist. Wembanyama became the first player in NBA history to average 5×5 over a two-game stretch since 1973-74, when blocks were first recorded as an official statistic.
Wembanyama played 31 minutes, the minimum in a 5×5 match, and, at age 20, he also became the youngest player to reach the statistical mark. He also became the second player with a line of 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and five steals, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, who did it four times.
But those feats won't mean much to Wembanyama, he said, until they translate into victories.
“For me, it’s secondary,” Wembanyama said. “I hope it will be a good performance in the future, but for now I can't settle for a defeat.”
The Lakers' superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis was too much for the young Spurs to overcome. James had 30 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds, while Davis had 28 points and 13 rebounds.
“Of course it was a challenge [going against] “It’s one of the best duos in the league,” Wembanyama said. “But still, I think we beat a lot of teams if we play that way.
“But I think it's a matter of maturity at the end because each of us made a mistake every time. Little mistakes, missing a layup, turning the ball over. We went down, we came back down four times., down seven times and that's when we made mistakes. So yeah, that's maturity.
After the match, James had nothing but praise for Wembanyama.
“He has no ceiling,” James said. “He can do whatever he wants with his career. It seems like he loves the game. It seems like he gets the job done. Just from the outside, I'm not around him on a daily basis. but I have said a long time ago how special he was, and it's literally that simple.
“Regarding your question, regarding the devastation [defensively]there are guys in our league that you have to account for every time you go around the rim or the perimeter in the history of our league, and he ranks right at the top, [if not] at the top, with all the greats.”
When asked about some of the best rookies he's seen, James mentioned players such as Zion Williamson, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
“He’s one of them that had a great rookie season,” James said. “The guys who came and [dominated]. But it's, can you maintain it? We had guys come in and get really screwed [good]. I think the one thing that Wemby has over all the guys that I've kind of named is you see his length.
“You see how big he is and his length. This guy next to me,” James said, pointing to Davis, “has a lot of length, and he's even more than AD. That's what makes him a little different. “
Friday's loss dropped the Spurs to 11-46 on the season. It was their 10th loss in 11 games.
But Wembanyama's teammates know the frequent losses won't be forever, in part because of how much the rookie does and can do.
“I just think he shows how special he is,” Spurs guard Devin Vassell told ESPN. “Obviously we know what we're building on. We know what we have, and it's just hard because I talked about it yesterday. You sit here and you compete night after night, day after day and you “I don't win.
“It's obviously tough. We're always going to stay on him. He wants to be great, and we appreciate him and we're not just him, but I think we all want to be great.”
ESPN's Dave McMenamin contributed to this report.
