By Darius
Playing less than 30 minutes, he scored 40 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks with 71% shooting accuracy and zero turnovers.
Yes, yes, you read that correctly. This was the TERRIFYING performance delivered by the French unicorn, Victor Wembanyama, in his first game of the NBA 2025-26 regular season, facing top-tier big man Anthony Davis, promising young big man Dereck Lively II, and the newly drafted No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.
For comparison, Davis only made 7 of his 22 field goal attempts this game, while both Lively and Flagg were emphatically swatted by Wembanyama's long arms.
What amazed fans even more were the offensive methods displayed by this French talent, now just entering his third NBA season, who missed many games last season due to illness. When he first entered the NBA, people saw this young man standing over 220cm with a slender build and worried whether he could adapt to the physicality of the world's top league.
These concerns were not unfounded. The rookie Wembanyama sometimes struggled against some larger, established star big men; his technical movements were very coordinated, but a lack of strength and experience often prevented him from executing these moves smoothly, resulting in awkward-looking shot attempts. The issue of insufficient physicality also existed on the defensive end.
But in today's game, when people saw him charging from beyond the three-point line into the Mavericks' paint, scoring effortlessly over the defense of Davis and Lively, they realized the immense progress this kid has made. "Let's go physical," his performance said.
Last season, Davis could still hold his own against Wembanyama. However, in this game, not only did Wembanyama completely overpower him, but he also took whatever he wanted against other Mavericks players.
In one offensive sequence, Wembanyama posted up on the Mavericks' left, used a pump fake to shake off P.J. Washington, and drove straight to the basket. Davis, late on the help defense, chose to foul. Yet, Wembanyama managed to adjust mid-air with a reverse dunk that rattled the entire hoop, drawing a foul for an and-one opportunity.
Later, after blocking Lively's hook shot, Wembanyama faced up his defender, used a series of dribbling, then suddenly stepped back for a three-pointer. Lively, overcommitting on the close-out, fouled him. As the whistle blew, the ball swished through the net. Another and-one.
Witnessing this horrifying performance, spectators in the arena, online viewers, and basketball bloggers alike were left speechless, utterly unable to find words to describe these actions; these moves simply shouldn't belong to the same player, even if that player was last season's Wembanyama. Defensively, he was as sharp as ever. Flagg, renowned for his all-around game in college, appeared hesitant against Wembanyama – perhaps he had never faced an opponent with such an overwhelming presence. When the game ended, people couldn't help but ask: How did this young man evolve so much in just one offseason?
Victor Wembanyama is a magical person. When he took out a book to read in the locker room, Serbian star Nikola Jokić, nearby, was both surprised and amused. More famously, last offseason, without publicity, he led his French team to China. There, he not only acted as a tourist but also as a monk – he surprisingly chose to undergo rigorous training at the Shaolin Temple for a period, even shaving his head for it. In videos circulating online, we can see him practicing and even playing basketball with the Shaolin monks.
Chinese fans, of course, found this delightful, joking about whether he learned some Chinese Kung Fu to prepare for the new season. Afterward, he connected with several renowned predecessors, including the power forward known for his all-around skills and tough defense, "The Big Ticket" Kevin Garnett, and the all-time blocks leader and offensively superb superstar center, "The Dream" Hakeem Olajuwon.
So, in the season opener, we witnessed a giant with physicality akin to a martial monk, formidable defense, and all-around offense, dominating the court. While we cannot judge Wembanyama's level based on just one game, given that players like Davis and Lively are renowned defensive stalwarts in the league, the intensity of this game was certainly not low. Yet, Wembanyama single-handedly made the game a blowout, even doing a set of push-ups post-game for extra work.
Some have suggested that Wembanyama might become the modern-day Wilt Chamberlain; based on what we saw today, I must say: perhaps now we really own a chance to witness the birth of a legend.
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