What’s next for Victor Wembanyama after historic Game 1 performance?

The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder have seemingly been on a collision course this season, and Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals certainly lived up to the hype.

The visiting Spurs took the series opener, winning 122-115 in double overtime. And with the Thunder preferring to use smaller players to defend Victor Wembanyama for most of the night, the 7-foot-4 phenom feasted.

NBA: Playoffs-San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder

On the night Shai Gilgeous Alexander got his MVP, did we witness a passing of the torch to Victor Wembanyama?

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Wembanyama looked like the best player in the world in lifiting the Spurs to a Game 1 win on the road.

Shooting 14-of-25 from the field and 12-of-13 from the foul line, Wemby amassed 41 points, 24 rebounds, three assists, one steal, three blocks and one three-pointer in a career-high 49 minutes. For those who would describe that stat line as “Wilt-like,” you would be correct. Wembanyama joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in league history to produce at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in their conference finals debut.

In Game 1 of the 1960 Eastern Division Finals, Chamberlain recorded 42 points (17-of-35 FGs, 8-of-14 FTs), 29 rebounds and one assist in a loss to the Boston Celtics. Blocks and steals were officially recorded by the NBA until the 1973-74 season; given his résumé, one can assume that “The Big Dipper” would have been credited with a few of those.

Wembanyama also became the second player aged 22 years or younger to record a 40/20 line in a playoff game, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Game 5, 1970 Eastern Division semifinal vs. Philadelphia). And he’s the second Spur to drop a 40/20 line in a postseason game, joining David Robinson (Game 2, 1996 first round vs. Phoenix).

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And since the league began recording blocks, Wemby is the third player to tally at least 40 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks in a playoff game. Hakeem Olajuwon did it twice as a Houston Rocket, in 1987 and 1988, and Shaquille O’Neal did it in 2000 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

So, what will Wembanyama do for an encore in Game 2? In part, that…

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Publish date : 2026-05-19 17:19:00

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