NBA: Wembanyama signs a new record and ignites the web

Victor Wembanyama n'enb finit pas de battre des records. MAXPPP – Ángel Colmenares

Le jeune Français a réalisé un nouveau triple-double à Toronto. Les Spurs gagnent à nouveau.

French Victor Wembanyama achieved a triple-double with 27 points, 14 rebounds and above all 10 blocks, a rare performance, to help the San Antonio Spurs crush the Raptors 122 to 99 on Monday in Toronto.

Wemby was elite on both ends and dropped a TRIPLE-DOUBLE in the Spurs' win against the Raptors 🌟

27 PTS
14 REB
10 BLK

This is the first triple-double INCLUSIVE of blocks since 01/22/21 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Xy57UqNsA9

— NBA (@NBA) February 13, 2024

Succeeded in a certain collective slump with San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama continues to regularly bring light from his giant hands (2.24 m), and realizes the promises that accompanied him for his first NBA season. Aged 20, "Wemby" is only the fourth "rookie" (beginner) in league history to achieve a triple-double including 10 or more blocks, the first in 34 years.

The triple-double, symbol for a basketball player of a complete and high-class match, is achieved by obtaining more than ten units in three statistical areas, most often points, rebounds and passes. Wembanyama became the 5th youngest player to achieve one in the NBA on January 10 against Detroit (16 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists). Doing it with more than 10 blocks is much rarer, only around thirty players can boast of it in the history of the league. The last one was from January 2021.

"Big day"

In the kingdom of giants, one of the great specialists in the exercise was Spurs pivot David Robinson, drafted No.1 in 1989, including Wembanyama, No.1 in the draft the year before. ;last year, is the direct heir in the Texas franchise.

"The'Admiral" Robinson was even the last "rookie" author of such a performance in 1990, and totaled nine at the end of his career. "Robinson? I didn't see him play as a child, it's older. But with Spurs I learned about him, watched videos. It's an honor to have my name associated with his", commented the young Frenchman. The evening full of Wembanyama (also author of 5 passes and 2 interceptions), top scorer of the match, was all the more surprising as the Frenchman seemed out of breath in recent weeks, at the heart of a series of seven defeats which ended on Monday against the Raptors, led from start to finish, and crushed by Spurs rather accustomed to suffering this kind of humiliation.

"For some reason I was having a great day, I started strong. It's the NBA I imagine, we have ups and downs, tonight it was a high , smiled Wembanyama in conference Press. The Frenchman confirms his status as the best NBA blocker (3.2 per match on average, 143 in total), which also allows him to intimidate his opponents. "It's a fact. But it's getting harder to block shots, I have to make an extra effort, because less and less players come to challenge me directly." 

Particularly skillful (10 out of 14 including 2 out of 4 from distance), "Wemby" didn't forget to put on a show, like on this poster dunk over Jakob Poeltl, or with a two-block action on Scottie Barnes. The Texans, however, remain last in the Western Conference despite their 11th victory (43 losses). They face Dallas on Wednesday, before Wembanyama flies to Indianapolis where he plays the best young people tournament (Friday) and the skill competition (Saturday) on the sidelines of the All-Star Game scheduled for Sunday.