Victor Wembanyama vs. Tyrese Maxey 1-On-1 Footage From 2022 Resurfaces

The Spurs and Sixers squared off on Sunday at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. With 76ers superstar Joel Embiid not in the lineup, Maxey stepped up big with 52 points to power Philly to a 133-126 win in overtime. But Wembanyama was no slouch on the other end, finishing with 33 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 blocks for San Antonio.

Maxey was asked about Wembanyama while the 76ers star spoke to reporters in the locker room. The Kentucky alum shared an anecdote about the pair locking horns two years prior when Wemby was still a foreign fascination rather than a tangible star in the league.

Maxey, who is a Dallas native, said that Wembanyama once challenged him to a 1-on-1 while the two were working out separately with trainer Tim Martin in Dallas. They ended up playing 5 or 6 games, with the Frenchman specifically requesting to play defense-only.

“I’ve never heard a player say that,” said Maxey of Victor Wembanyama, via Lauren Rosen. “Like, ‘I just want to play defense 1-on-1.’ I’m fresh and he’s not fresh. I’m coming down 1-on-1. I’m doing the same moves I always do. I get to the paint, come to my right-right layup and he grabs my layup off the glass.

“It was amazing. We competed. Every time I would win the game, he would want to play again. And in my competitive nature, every time he won, I wanted to play again.”

Footage Of The Victor Wembanyama-Tyrese Maxey 1-On-1 Has Surfaced

It didn’t take long before footage of the private duel went viral. Martin posted a 39-second clip of Wemby and Maxey going full speed against one another.

Wembanyama likely wanted to test his mettle against NBA-level talent. Maxey, on the other hand, probably didn’t want to get shown up by a then-teenager who wasn’t in the league yet.

Maxey got the better of Wembanyama with a couple of slick moves. But it was already clear then that future Spur was more than capable of becoming a defensive disruptor at the NBA level. Wemby is the NBA’s top shot-blocker for a reason.