- It was the first ever meeting between one of the league’s best and the rookie
- Wembanyama is already well on his way to stardom, and Giannis certainly sees it
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Victor Wembanyama was given another seal of approval for his extortionary potential by Giannis Antetokounmpo after the pair went toe to toe in a thrilling battle on Thursday night.
‘He’s an unbelievable talent,’ Giannis said about Wembanyama after the Bucks snatched a late 125-121 win over the Spurs in San Antonio. ‘[He] can score at will any time he wants. Plays the right way, plays to win. It was good playing against him.’
Antetokounmpo dished out some nice words to the rookie on his 20th birthday after Milwaukee’s dramatic victory, despite his younger rival returning 27 points on the night.
In another chat with reporters after the game, the Bucks star continued about Wembanyama: ‘I’ve never seen anything like him. Seven four, seven five… I don’t know how tall he is. He’s not seven three, he’s way taller than seven three.
‘But at the end of the day, you haven’t seen anything like that. I haven’t. Maybe you guys have. So the sky’s the limit [for him].’
Giannis Antetokounmpo faced off with Victor Wembanyama for the first time on Thursday
Giannis sung Wembanyama’s praises as he branded the rookie an ‘unbelievable talent’
Wembanyama has long been considered the best basketball prospect of this generation due to his diverse skill.
The Frenchman is 7-foot-4 and has good enough handles to move like a guard, evidenced by his slick behind-the-back move in the third quarter that made Damian Lillard look silly.
Giannis outscored Wembanyama with 44 points to bring home the victory.
NBA fans were left purring at the matchup as the pair went back-and-forth with some phenomenal three-pointers and pieces of individual brilliance.
Antetokounmpo drew a charge on Wembanyama after hitting a three-pointer to level it at 118 with three minutes remaining, before hitting his second of the game 34 seconds later to give the Bucks a 121-118 lead.
Wembanyama responded by blocking Lillard’s layup and making a three-pointer of his own to tie it with 53 second left.
He then blocked an attempted dunk by Giannis to set up a potential tying shot, only to pass up a contested three-pointer to give the ball to Tre Jones – who missed from the right corner.
Despite Wembanyama impressing the Greek Freak, the Spurs are 5-29 overall, the second-worst record in the NBA, being eclipsed by the six-win Wizards.
Despite Wembanyama impressing the Greek Freak, the Spurs are 5-29 overall after the loss
Only the Detroit Pistons, who recently set the NBA record for the most consecutive losses, have a worse record at 3-31.
Wembanyama still shows signs of being a rookie, as he only played for 26 minutes on Thursday night compared to Antetokounmpo’s 40.
While San Antonio’s chances of making the playoffs are already slipping away, Milwaukee is in second place in the Eastern Conference, two games behind Boston.
Wembanyama and Antetokounmpo don’t face again this season.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk