Victor Wembanyama shed blood, sweat, and literal tears for his country during the Paris Olympics. The San Antonio Spurs star center set the world on notice as France finished with its second consecutive silver medal. After the smoke settled from the Olympics, Wembanyama took to Instagram, sending a message to the world and providing Spurs fans optimism for the future.
‘It’s just the beginning,” Wembanyama said on Instagram.
It’s a simple four-word message that holds significant weight.
Wembanyama averaged 15.8 points, 9.7 rebounds (second during the 2024 Olympics), two steals, and 1.7 blocks amid the silver-medal run for France.
Although he wasn’t the best player throughout the Paris Olympics, Wembanyama remained a threat on defense and provided his nation a shot at winning gold.
In his rookie season, Wembanyama finished second to his Olympic teammate Rudy Gobert for the 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year award. While voter fatigue exists, it’s quite realistic for Wembanyama to win the aforementioned award in his sophomore season. Voters such as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst alluded to leaning toward the Spurs star center before ultimately going with Gobert.
Aside from achieving defensive awards, Wembanyama ending the 2024-25 season as an All-Star and an All-NBA honoree is a high possibility.
As Wembanyama said, it’s just the beginning, and the Spurs are fortunate enough to experience the journey first-hand.