Rich Paul, the agent of LeBron James, is convinced Victor Wembanyama will surpass the Los Angeles Lakers star and Michael Jordan to become the new G.O.A.T. of basketball — provided he can stay healthy throughout his career.
Speaking on The Ringer’s “Game Over” podcast, Paul delivered a resounding “Yes” when asked whether the San Antonio Spurs star had the tools to surpass James, Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the other all-time greats in NBA lore.
Paul explained two factors that will determine if Wemby will go down as the G.O.A.T.
“It’s two things — if he stays healthy and if people don’t try to penalize him for how it looks,” Paul said.
“Most people try to penalize you because it didn’t look like their G.O.A.T looked. It’s just about his body of work.
“So, my answer is, yes.”
Wemby Begins Path to Greatness
Paul suggested that his client, James, took a big hit from critics and fans alike because of the “way he looked” while capturing four NBA championships, the all-time scoring record and countless other accolades, because his game didn’t resemble that of Jordan, Kobe Bryant or other scoring machines of the past.
“How do you expect a guy’s career to look like the guy you liked?” Paul asked.
James infamously said in 2007 that he never tried to model his game after Jordan, even though he idolized the Chicago Bulls icon, because he’s a pass-first player, not a scorer.
“I’m a totally different player than Michael Jordan,” James said. “As far as the next Jordan, there is no such thing. There’s one Michael Jordan and only one and no one compares with him.”
LeBron James on Wemby
James, who gave Wemby the “Alien” moniker in 2022, has continued to praise the Spurs star through his first three years in the league.
“It seems like, from the outside looking in, that he has a great head on his shoulders,” James said of Wemby ahead of the 2025 NBA All-Star Game. “He seems like he loves the game, that he takes care of his body, the process, and everything.”
“I seen one quote that he says that nobody better not call him past 9 o’clock at night because he’s either reading or he’s sleep. I think he’s been great for the franchise with the Spurs, but he’s going to be great for our league for so many, so many years to come.”
Wemby and James could potentially match up in this year’s playoffs when the Spurs will end their six-year postseason drought. The Spurs (42-16), on a 10-game winning streak, are 2.0 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (45-15) for the top seed in the West, while the Lakers (34-23) are sixth in the West.
Many analysts feel Wemby and the Spurs could be the most dangerous team in the playoffs due to their defensive versatility and their palpable on-court chemistry. Furthermore, the Spurs are essentially playing with house money since they weren’t expected to secure a top-3 seed this season, with oddsmakers projecting them to win just 44.5 games at the start of the season and possibly make the play-in.
If Wemby can lead the Spurs to a deep playoff run this year, his path to G.O.A.T. status could unfold faster than expected. The third-year big is averaging 24.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.9 blocks and 1.0 steals through 44 games thus far.
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