San Antonio Spurs rising star center Victor Wembanyama lived up to the hype and then some during his historic rookie season. Nevertheless, according to the 2023 No. 1 draft pick, he still encountered surprises, including his idols’ varying work ethics.
Wembanyama faced immense expectations as a rookie, with many proclaiming him the best prospect since superstar forward LeBron James in 2003. However, the 7-foot-4 big man delivered, finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and securing an All-Defensive first team nod.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama ran away with the Rookie of the Year award, becoming the first unanimous winner since star center Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016.
The French phenom seemingly needed little time to adjust to the NBA. Nevertheless, in a Sports Illustrated interview released Tuesday, he noted that he was caught off guard by some of the league’s big-name players’ questionable dedication. He added that the experience tarnished his perception of some he used to idolize.
“Both in a good and bad way, it’s how truly the best of the game are,” Wembanyama said. “How, in a good way, some of them are really impressive and inspiring in the way they approach the game every night. But others that I used to like, and now I’m just like, ‘Nah, I’m not sure that they deserve it.’ Like, they don’t seem like they put as much work [in] as I thought.”
