Feb 10, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks the ball during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Victor Wembanyama's Unexpected LeBron James Statement

Originally posted on San Antonio Spurs on SI
By Matt Guzman | Last updated Feb 14, 2025 7:21 PM ET

No, no. Victor Wembanyama has a point.

During the San Antonio Spurs star's inaugural NBA All-Star interview to kick off Day 1 of the three-day festivities, he was asked a series of questions about himself, the players he's faced and basketball in general.

One had to do with the player who has as many All-Star nods as Wembanyama has years.

"Whose game is most underrated in the league?" Wembanyama was asked.

"I'm going to go with LeBron (James)," he responded. "Underrated just means you're not rated at your right value, right? I think LeBron's underrated."

“Whose game is most underrated in the league?”

Wemby: “LeBron.”

“What was your ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment?”

VW: “My very first game playing against Luka. On that day I saw a level of basketball that I had never seen before.”

(via @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/WzPSWZMLQH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 14, 2025

Since entering the league, Wembanyama and James have faced off five times. The 40-year-old leads the series, 3-2, but echoes any and all praise that his 21-year-old protégé receives each time, even claiming right to first donning him "The Alien."

”We’re labeling like this unicorn thing," he said back in 2023, "Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years, but he’s more like an alien — no one has seen anyone as tall, but as fluid and graceful as he is on the floor.”

NBA prospect Victor Wembanyama reacted to basketball great LeBron James calling him an “alien” https://t.co/rTTzfNFW50 pic.twitter.com/Nny67Eh3Ot
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 21, 2023

Sure, Wembanyama has a long way to go before he can be thrown in any conversations with James — or any league legends, for that matter — but if there is something certain now, it's that he doesn't fit the same mold as the Lakers' superstar does.

Right now, nobody is disputing the talent that Wembanyama possesses. In one season and change, he's delivered on the promise his frame brought. He's not overrated.

James, on the other hand? Those who oppose what he's done in 22 years seem to grow in numbers each year as his argument for the greatest of all-time grows. Knocking the league's all-time leading scorer is almost commonplace.

So, yeah. Wembanyama has a point.

Perhaps James is underrated.

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This article first appeared on San Antonio Spurs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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