NBA All-Star 2nd Returns: Where Does Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama Fall?
SAN ANTONIO — Out of 24 three-letter team identifiers present on the NBA's All-Star fan-vote returns, the San Antonio Spurs can lay claim to one.
SAS might not be near the top of the 20-player rankings, but it's there, despite some early doubts. It's there, and it's beside the name of a rookie who's taken the league by storm through just 36 games.
Victor Wembanyama isn't completely new to the spotlight. Being over 7-feet tall as a teenager certainly has that kind of affect on one's social presence, but the thing that is foreign to him is the level of fame and notoriety he has. In France, it was common to run into the then-Metropolitans 92 player in the streets. He didn't speak at many news conferences, and stands weren't regularly filled to watch every single one of his games.
That's all changed with his entry into the NBA, and it might get even worse if he were to join a group of the NBA's top talents in Indianapolis for the esteemed All-Star game.
But he has to make it there first.
So, where does he stand after the second round of fan-vote returns?
Through nearly a month of voting, the Spurs rookie sits in 8th place in the Western-Conference frontcourt standings. He hasn't crossed the 500,000 mark just yet, but still has enough to make him a solid candidate — barring any discrepancies between the league and media portion of the vote.
He's just under 100,000 votes ahead of his 7-foot rookie competition as well, besting the Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren, who sits at No. 9.
But whether it's Holmgren or LeBron James — the league's second-highest vote getter collectively — Wembanyama wants to make his statement and earn a chance at an All-Star distinction. He wants to prove himself.
"I'm a competitor, so I want to go at everyone," the rookie said. "I want to be the 'bad guy' on the court. ... [And] at the end of the day, I'm going to get what I deserve. Every game is a statement from now on."
“My hunger is bigger than ever to win and to compete," he added after facing the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jan 4, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) warms up before a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Frost Bank Center.
© Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Only 45 players have made an All-Star team in their rookie seasons, though the list of players is certainly a group Wembanyama would want to find himself in — Bob Cousy, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan headline the list — especially considering that both of the Spurs' former No. 1 picks have done so.
Wembanyama didn't need another reason to chase after the legacies left by the two former Spurs greats that once stood in his shoes, but he's got one.
He might not be thinking about it as a "make-it-or-go-home" situation, either, but it's certainly on his mind. And it will be until the final rankings are released.
Next up for Victor and the Spurs is a home contest against the LaMelo-Ball-less Charlotte Hornets Friday evening. A win there would mark two straight for just the second time this season — something that San Antonio has certainly been waiting for.
Tipoff from Frost Bank Center is set for 7 p.m. CST.
