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The NBA is filled to the brim with impressively large human beings capable of pulling off insanely athletic feats with ease—a list of guys that definitely includes Victor Wembanyama. The 7’4″ phenom is a pretty intimidating presence, and Joel Embiid seemed to be impressed after getting the chance to size him up for the first time.
On Monday night, the Philadelphia 76ers faced off against the San Antonio Spurs for the first time this season, which meant the guys representing the City of Brotherly Love had the opportunity to get their first real look at Victor Wembanyama.
The 20-year-old Frenchman has managed to hold his own since making his NBA debut this season, and while there’s still plenty of room for improvement, he’s largely managed to live up to the lofty expectations surrounding him (although that hasn’t necessarily translated to success for a Spurs team that headed into their showdown with the 76ers sporting am 8-34 record).
Joel Embiid is used to being one of the bigger guys on the court when you consider he stands at 7’0″, and he headed into the contest knowing he’d be tasked with guarding a guy who has four inches on him.
Prior to the game, he decided to see how he measured up with Wembanyama during the shootaround, and he appeared to be a bit surprised by his size based on the look he gave to someone else on the court before saying a prayer.
Embiid's first look at @wemby 🤣😂🤣#PorVida | @Spurs | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/tAWPRXl4Gi
— Bally Sports San Antonio (@BallySportsSA) January 23, 2024
When everything was said and done, Wembanyama scored 33 points while snagging seven rebounds and recording a couple of assists. However, Embiid decidedly got the upper hand by scoring 70 points (the most in franchise history) while leading Philly to a 133-123 victory on the road.
The rookie received some high praise from Embiid after his record-breaking performance, as he made it very clear he was impressed by his play while stating he wouldn’t be shocked to see Wembanyama surpass Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point mark at some point in the future.
The two men will face off again when the 76ers head to San Antonio on April 7th.