Victor Wembanyama continues to do historic things in his rookie season, even though the San Antonio Spurs are one of the worst teams in the league. For the young center, however, it’s clear that the losing matters more to him than his personal accomplishments.
Wembanyama recorded a 5×5 game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, collecting 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five blocks, and five steals in a 123-118 loss. The performance made him the second player in NBA history to record five blocks and five steals in back-to-back games, joining only Michael Jordan in that category.
Despite that, Wembanyama was not too impressed. Asked about joining Jordan in elite company, the rookie center’s response was to question whether Jordan did it in a losing effort.
Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama on joining Michael Jordan w/ back-to-back 5-steal, 5-block games: “I wonder if he did it in wins, not losses. To me, it’s secondary. Hopefully… we can look back & think this is a good performance. As of today, I can’t be satisfied with a loss.” pic.twitter.com/ITAd0bupxr
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 24, 2024
“I wonder if he did it in wins, not losses. To me, it’s secondary,” Wembanyama said. “Hopefully, in the future, we can look back and think this is a good performance. As of today, I can’t be satisfied with a loss.”
Wembanyama is arguably already great, but he wants his team to be great. Friday’s loss dropped his Spurs to 11-46 on the season, and it’s clear that matters to him more than his statistical accomplishments. Having seen what the rookie can do, it feels like only a matter of time that he will be the centerpiece of a Spurs team that is at least playoff-caliber.
For reference, Jordan did accomplish his feat in back-to-back wins in February 1987, so Wembanyama’s suspicions were correct.
