German Dirk Nowitzki, the first European to be MVP in NBA history, is totally amazed by the performances of Victor Wembanyama with the San Antonio Spurs. The former leader of the Dallas Mavericks believes that the 22-year-old Frenchman is simply revolutionizing basketball in the United States.
German Dirk Nowitzki, the first European to win the NBA MVP title (2007), praised Victor Wembanyama on Monday, saying that he is “changing the game” as he experiences the playoffs with the San Antonio Spurs. “He is changing the game right now. I have never seen anything like it,” declared the Dallas Mavericks legend to AFP, who will be inducted into the FIBA International Basketball Hall of Fame in Berlin on Tuesday.
“His defense is so effective that he changes the game just by being on the court,” emphasized the 47-year-old former player, famous for his “fade away” shot on one leg, which made him one of the best attackers of his generation. At 22 years old, having his best season (25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds) with the Spurs, Wembanyama is expected to win his first Defender of the Year title. He is also among the three candidates for the MVP title (best player of the regular season) with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City) and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets).
“Wemby is that kind of X factor”
Waiting for the results announcement, the Frenchman scored 35 points in his playoff debut on Sunday in a victory against the Portland Trail Blazers (111-98), after leading his team to a somewhat unexpected second place in the Western Conference. According to Dirk Nowitzki, champion in 2011 after several failed attempts in the final stages, San Antonio is “clearly prepared.”
“Of course, the question about the Spurs is ‘do they have enough experience?'” the German wondered. “But I think Wemby is that kind of X factor that compensates for that.” “They are a tough match for OKC,” the best team of the regular season, that San Antonio could meet in the conference finals, predicted Nowitzki. “It’s going to be a beautiful playoffs. They (the Spurs) are clearly on a good path,” concluded the former leader of the Mavs, who had memorable playoff battles with Dallas against Tim Duncan’s Spurs in the 2000s and 2010s.
