Twenty years after LeBron’s debut, Victor Wembanyama enters the NBA spotlight،
LEBRON JAMES WAS He had a big moment and his veteran teammates wanted to make it memorable, since it was his first NBA game and all.
So they asked the 18-year-old rookie if he would take the honor of leading the Cleveland Cavaliers onto the field for the preseason opener at the Palace of Auburn Hills in early October 2003.
James proudly ran out and prepared to begin warm-ups before suddenly realizing he was alone, a still sparse crowd staring at him awkwardly. Back in the tunnel, his teammates burst out laughing. Naive and embarrassed, James could only shake his head at this joke.
Twenty years later, there was no such hazing for prized San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama when he first took to an NBA court earlier this month in Oklahoma City.
His teammates have talked about Wembanyama in recent weeks, not as a little brother — that’s how the Cavs treated James to the point that then-coach Paul Silas sometimes had to step in to defend him as a father figure at first – but with some fear. Things have changed, it seems, for the phenomenal teenage recruits.
“I think it’s just a natural phenomenon, it’s not a normal thing to see,” Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan said. “I’m here to help him.”
“The days of treatment [rookies] the same thing,” veteran Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, “left us a long time ago.”
COMPARISONS BETWEEN JAMES and Wembanyama are irresistible because of the hype surrounding the two No. 1 overall picks drafted two decades apart.
James appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2002 as a high school senior, then entered the NBA with a $90 million Nike contract and the nickname “The Chosen One” just as Michael Jordan was leaving. Wembanyama is a social media phenomenon whose breathtaking blend of skill and size might be unprecedented and who happily revels in his nickname “alien”, ironically given to him by James.
They are considered the same type of can’t-miss prospect by recruiters, executives and the media. Both were internationally renowned before entering the league, even without college basketball to magnify them.
It’s easy to forget that James didn’t arrive in the NBA fully formed in 2003. He had some long-forgotten tough times during his first few weeks as a pro, which might be relevant to keep in mind. mind as the Spurs rookie begins his big-hot rookie season Wednesday night in his regular-season opener against the Dallas Mavericks (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
“[Wembanyama] has had this hype for so long, much like LeBron did on his way out. I compare him more to LeBron than to [former Spurs No. 1 picks Tim Duncan and David Robinson] in that regard,” Popovich said. “And of course I worried about it. One of my main concerns was figuring out how to protect him or how I’m going to give him speeches about this and that and you have to watch out for this and all that. »
James’ first pre-season was not one to savor. Although he had a few highlight-reel dunks and wowed fans by showing off his passing ability, he shot the ball poorly. He averaged just eight points in his first three preseason games, then had a tough two-game trip to Southern California in which he shot 8-of-32 in two games against the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers, with opposing players almost mocking him. moving away from him to challenge him to shoot.
A national reporter asked if “hype” was short for “hey, are you working out enough?” after James’ sweater looked so squeaky.
That’s already a stark contrast to Wembanyama, who has only amplified interest in him with a dazzling preseason filled with strong plays ranging from nutmegs to stepback jumpers to jaw-dropping dunks. He put the finishing touches on it with a streak of 19 points and five blocks Friday night in his first game in California against the Golden State Warriors.
“I think I’m ready,” Wembanyama told ESPN last week. “I know I haven’t seen the best level of the NBA yet, or the best teams and the best players, but it’s very exciting.”
IF THE WEMBANYAMA PRESEASON will quickly translate into dominant games in the regular season, remains to be seen.
James’ first regular season game, a road game in Sacramento, remains historic. His first quarter, in which he scored 12 points and had steals on three of the Kings’ four possessions – one leading to an iconic photo of his first official dunk (of 2,108 regular season dunks and counting) – was as surprising as it was. make statements.
No one saw James’ 25 point, 9 assist, 4 steal game coming, as he had shot 35% in seven preseason games and had never scored 20 points. Looking back 13 years later, James remained slightly surprised at how he handled the situation.
“I just saw that for an 18-year-old, I really couldn’t say much to him at that point,” James said in 2016 of watching that first game years later. “He was just excited to be on the field, and he was just having fun. This was before social media and all that, so he didn’t really have to worry about anything, just to go out and play and live with the results. live with everything that happened, and he continued to do it.”
James’ Cavaliers lost their first game by double digits and started the 2003-04 season 4-15. James was among the league leaders in turnovers through the first two months of the season, struggling as the team’s starting point guard before he was truly ready for that assignment.
Wembanyama played in an experimental formation from the start. The Spurs plan to start the season with one natural guard, shooting guard Devin Vassell, and four forwards/centers with Sochan playing the point and Wembanyama likely to have ball-handling duties. And, as James noted, Wembanyama will have to compete under what will likely be intense social media scrutiny, perhaps similar to what he faced in his disappointing NBA 2K24 Summer League debut.
The Spurs are a potentially exciting team, with Wembanyama bringing them increasing attention, appearing on national television 19 times this season, up from just once a season ago. However, like the Cavs in James’ first year – Cleveland finished 35-47 and missed the playoffs – the Spurs may not be a good team.
Yet Wembanyama’s seemingly stress-free debut boosted confidence. He was nervous before his preseason debut in Oklahoma City two weeks ago, struggling to sleep with extra energy, but he’s mostly looked good since.
Unlike James, who began his rookie season with a three-game West Coast road trip, Wembanyama is also playing his first two games at home.
Popovich admitted he let his guard down a bit by being more protective as he watched Wembanyama handle both the attention and the transition to the NBA game. Although the preseason isn’t what it was when James was starting out — back then, it wasn’t unusual for stars to play more than 30 minutes and compete until in the fourth quarter in doubling the number of plays — Wembanyama established a tone.
“This didn’t happen to him by chance. He’s been praised for quite a long time,” Popovich said. “He’s learned to let it go, from ear to ear. Water off a duck’s back, all that sort of thing. He’s not impressed by any of the intrigue or criticism, he wants just play and be.” the best player he can be.”
Memorabilia from James’ first game has been selling for more than two decades. Coming from different eras, very different backgrounds and upbringings, his and Wembanyama’s experiences are sure to be different regardless of how the Spurs rookie’s debut plays out.
But they will probably also have things in common.
“It was my first time in the NBA and to be able to be part of an atmosphere like that,” James recalled, “it was pretty cool.”
Wembanyama was two months from birth when James had this experience. But even coming from a different generation, he wants the same thing.
“I can’t wait to experience everything I saw on TV. All the stories. All the arenas. The atmospheres. It’s all going to be really valuable to me,” Wembanyama said. “I know it’s going to lead to incredible things and obstacles. I know it’s going to be a great year. I know I’m making forever memories right now.”
