San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama guided his team to the NBA Finals on Saturday night, June 1, 2026, following a thrilling Game 7 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 22-year-old French star showcased his diverse skillset during the Western Conference finals to eliminate the reigning champions on their home floor.
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The victory sets up a championship matchup against the New York Knicks, starting Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas.
Wembanyama averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks while shooting 51 percent across 64 regular-season games, finishing third in the Most Valuable Player voting.
His historic postseason run draws strong parallels to Shaquille O'Neal, who led a youthful Orlando Magic squad to the 1995 NBA Finals in his third professional season.
Comparisons to Shaquille O'Neal
An anonymous veteran NBA head coach highlighted the defensive challenges posed by the 7-foot-4 center, noting his unique modern lifestyle compared to past legends.
"He's Shaq," said an anonymous veteran NBA head coach.
"He eats clean, worries about how his water is filtered and doesn't break backboards like Shaq did, but he presents the same problem.
None of us know what the hell we're going to do to stop him."
A rival general manager added context regarding Wembanyama's physical longevity and his ability to efficiently execute perimeter shooting and free throws.
"Of course people are going to compare him to Shaq, but he's actually Shaq 2.0," said an anonymous rival general manager.
