During the beginning of the All-Star Weekend, Jamal Crawford was seen teaching a few moves to Victor Wembanyama to improve the latter’s handles.

Over the weekend, during the podcast, Draymond Green asked JC to talk about Wemby. Crawford, who is known for his excellent analysis, believed that Gregg Popovich will be responsible for the 7ft 4” youngster’s success. Before recalling an incident that left Crawford in awe of the European, the three-time Sixth Man of the Year revealed how he wasn’t sure what Wemby’s best attribute was.

“Before he came in the league, I said he obviously has a cheat code in Pop, right? But I said his skill, whatever he does best early, we don’t know. But, Pop’s going to play him to his strength… The cheat is Pop though because I don’t think Wemby’s best attribute is scoring. I’m not sure what it is right now,” Crawford claimed.

As surprising as it may sound, despite the surreal hype, Crawford believes that the 20-year-old is better than what he’s projected to be.

“He’s actually better than the hype. It’s insane,” Crawford boldly claimed.

Wembanyama has arguably been the most hyped player to enter the NBA since LeBron James. Some analysts even claimed that Wemby needed to have a Hall-of-Fame type career in order to live up to all the expectations. Despite the fans’ lofty demands so far, the San Antonio Spurs big man has been meeting the expectations, averaging 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game this season.

Victor Wembanyama talks about his rookie season

Over the All-Star Weekend, Victor Wembanyama was a part of TNT’s broadcast, answering questions that Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson Jr. had prepared for him.

Wemby spoke about his rookie year experience, so far, explaining how he’s been lucky to learn what he has and face the many challenges he did.

“It’s been a pleasure also to be on that court and experience this. I’ve learned so much in just a couple months more than in any little span like this before in my life and just living the dream… It’s been a lot of challenges, it’s been hard but I wouldn’t want it to be easy,” Wemby said.

Wemby also said that the constant losing has been extremely tough for him.

“I think actually this (losing) has been the one of the hard things you know this season,” Wembanyama said.

To be fair, the San Antonio Spurs weren’t expected to be a playoff-contending team. At the same time, fans wouldn’t even expect them to sit dead last in the Western Conference standings.

In terms of individual performance, Wemby’s incredible production has been one of the very few positive takeaways for the Texas side. It won’t be surprising to see the Spurs center win the Rookie of the Year once the 2023-24 season gets over.

The post “The Cheat Code Is…”: Jamal Crawford and Draymond Green Discuss Victor Wembanyama’s ‘Greatest Strength’ During All-Star Weekend appeared first on The SportsRush.

Kevin Garnett took to his Instagram stories to warn San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama for being too active during the All-Star Weekend. He pointed out how Wemby has been a part of nearly every challenge there has been in the first few days of the All-Star Weekend.

“Message to Victor n Victor team!! @wemby make sure you take a Vacation after this all Star weekend They working the shhhh out you…This man’s in almost every game skills challenge every interview…he got a mic on every game…LIKE GOttttt Damnn…he’s human too…DAMNNN ITS CALLED A BREAK for a reason…Tf…League be all gasss no brakes…Just saying some Real shyt…One.”

KG wants Wemby to get rest this weekend pic.twitter.com/gYPmtQhEpS

— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) February 18, 2024

Victor Wembanyama has been quite active during this All-Star break. The Spurs rookie was part of the Rising Stars Challenge last night and tonight he was a part of the Skills Challenge as well.

Apart from taking part in all these events, Wembanyama made an appearance on the NBA on TNT crew and has been doing promotions for TNT as well. Not to mention the constant interviews with reporters during the break.

Had he been selected in the All-Star Game, Wembanyama would have to suit up for that as well on the last night of the All-Star Weekend. But what Kevin Garnett brought up does hold some value.

Wembanyama may be a rookie but he is the cornerstone of the San Antonio Spurs franchise. And during this latter half of the season, the Spurs have been running their offense more and more through the seven-footer.

If Wembanyama hopes to stay fatigue-free and healthy in the coming games, taking up Garnett’s advice would work wonders for the young rookie. In fact, given how Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is, there is a strong chance that he may give Wemby a few games off as load management to protect their unicorn.

Victor Wembanyama gets a thoughtful warning from KG

Despite being a rookie, Victor Wembanyama has been handling all the pressure of carrying a franchise’s hopes and the load of constantly being in front of a camera really well during this All-Star Weekend. Even though Wemby is just a rookie, he has been adjusting fairly well to the NBA’s lifestyle. He’s been interacting well with other players, reporters, and even the crew on Inside the NBA on TNT.

“It’s been a pleasure to be on the court and to experience this…all these experiences you know. I’ve learned so much in just a couple of months, more than any other span before this in my life. And it’s…I mean it’s just living the dream you know.”

Wembanyama also went on to talk about the challenges he faced during his initial rookie season in the NBA. However, he has been taking those challenges head-on and is happy to put in the work.

Victor Wembanyama is leading the rookies in points, rebounds, and steals and leading not just the rookie board but the league in blocks as well. We have constantly heard how special this kid is going to be and so far, the French sensation has not disappointed. Let’s see what Wemby and the Spurs have in store for fans post the All-Star Weekend.

The post “They Working The Sh*t Out You”: Kevin Garnett Wants Victor Wembanyama To Be Cautious About Being Too Active During All Star Weekend appeared first on The SportsRush.

Wembanyama was part of the Team Pau, a roster of rookies coached by Hall of Famer Pau Gasol. Sochan wasn’t initially part of the event but was drafted in as a replacement for Shaedon Sharpe on Jalen Rose’s Team Jalen. The other two teams are headed by retired WNBA star Tamika Catchings and former Dallas Mavericks star Detlef Schrempf.

Before the tournament, members of Team Pau were asked in an interview who they were looking forward to throwing lobs to in the Rising Stars game. Miami Heat’s Jaime Jaquez. Jr. and Golden State Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski answered Wembanyama. The Warriors rookie added,

“You can’t mess up a lob [to Victor Wembanyama.]”

The camera immediately panned to Sochan, who reluctantly nodded his head in agreement.

Nah camera man knew what he was doing pic.twitter.com/ozCUi3Ix8A

— BrickMuse (@BrickMuse) February 16, 2024

Fans on social media immediately identified the cameraman’s blatant attempt to catch Sochan’s reaction to Podziemski’s claim about throwing lobs to Wembanyama. The Spurs star has been heavily criticized for not passing the ball to his rookie teammate. Since the start of the season, fans have clipped videos of Sochan not passing to Wembanyama when he’s in an easy scoring position.

Bro saw Wemby open at the rim and does THIS pic.twitter.com/92EIzmN7pk

— BrickMuse (@BrickMuse) December 22, 2023

Sochan jokingly admitted on X, formerly called Twitter, that Podziemski exposed him with his answer about throwing lobs to Wembanyama.

They got me https://t.co/3cKXyes6qN

— Jeremy Sochan (@JeremySochan) February 16, 2024

Sochan is a power forward thrust into the point guard position because the Spurs did not employ a playmaker who could start games. Naturally, the young star struggled with playmaking duties and caught a lot of flak for it on social media. He was targeted for not passing to Wembanyama and settling for contested shots. He was taken off playing duties in January, which has made life on social media easier for the third-year star.

Victor Wembanyama’s uptick in form with Tre Jones

After 33 games, the Spurs gave up on the Jeremy Sochan experiment and inserted Tre Jones into their starting lineup as the point guard. The move worked wonders. Spurs’ offensive rating went up from 108.3 to 113.5. Their points per game improved from 110.9 to 113.1 and their turnovers dropped from 15 per game to 13.8.

The biggest beneficiaries of Jones’ inclusion as the starter have been Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell. The Spurs’ two best offensive players have seen an uptick in their stats since the change. With Sochan at point guard, Wembanyama averaged 18.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 3.1 blocks, while Vassell averaged 18.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and three assists. Since Jones became the primary ball handler, Wembanyama has averaged 20.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.3 blocks. Vassell’s averages increased to 19.9 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds.

Odds to win NBA Rookie of the Year at #BetMGM

Last Week
Chet Holmgren -190
Victor Wembanyama +125

Now
Chet Holmgren +220
Victor Wembanyama -275

28% of bets (most) are on Chet to win award.

57% of money (most) is on Wemby. pic.twitter.com/DVeAN2hHeU

— John Ewing (@johnewing) February 6, 2024

Jones becoming the Spurs’ starting point guard has helped Wembanyama the most. His improved numbers over the last five weeks have helped him gain ground on Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren in the Rookie of the Year award race. The Spurs sensation is now the firm favourite to take home the trophy.

The Spurs’ improvement on offense with Jones at point guard begs the question of why Sochan was forced into playing as the point guard. The third-year star did not have the passing ability or the court vision to play the position. The Spurs’ coaching staff put into the critics’ crosshairs by forcing him to play a role he wasn’t comfortable in. However, they’ve rectified their mistake, and everyone’s better off.

The post “Wemby, You Can’t Mess Up A Lob”: Jeremy Sochan Takes Ownership Over Not Throwing Victor Wembanyama Proper Alleys appeared first on The SportsRush.

The Spurs achieved their 11th win of the campaign following their dominance in the first three quarters. The French rookie played a key role behind that recording 27 points, 14 rebounds, 10 blocks, and 5 assists in 29 minutes. His all-around display marked the second triple-double of his debut season adding further volume to his prowess.

The endeavors of the 20-year-old impressed the analysts with Bayless being one of them. Soon after the conclusion of the clash, the 72-year-old let his emotions take over as he expressed his astoundment on X (formerly Twitter). While heaping praise for the Spurs center, the FS1 personality also shed light on the concerns for the organization.

“Wemby: 27, 14…and 10 BLOCKS, at Toronto. Best of all, the SPURS WON EASILY. They’re still amazingly worst in the West by 5 games. Just don’t get that,” he publicly mentioned.

Wemby: 27, 14 … and 10 BLOCKS, at Toronto. Best of all, the SPURS WON EASILY. They’re still amazingly worst in the West by 5 games. Just don’t get that.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) February 13, 2024

Amidst the seeming harshness, his remarks contained an immense amount of truth as the franchise struggled to maintain consistency. For instance, before the recent win, the team went on a seven-game losing streak. The young core has often failed to stand up against the experienced NBA stars, delaying the process of the rebuild. Hence, individual brilliance has often fallen short of the occasion due to a lack of support from the rest of the roster.

Despite the struggles, Victor Wembanyama keeps on shining

Entering the campaign as the number one pick of his draft class, the expectations were sky-high for the 7ft 4″ youngster. Till now, the Le Chesnay-born has undoubtedly exceeded them as his efforts have often decided the momentum of a match. Averaging 20.4 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per game, and 3.2 blocks per game, Wemby remains on the course of being the next franchise face.

This magnificent stat line has kept him under the spotlight since the beginning of the season. In fact, the 2023 ProA MVP allegedly leads the race to become the 2024 ROTY at the moment. Alongside this, he remains one of the only six NBA players this season to average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in this campaign.

Achievements such as this one have established his status as a rising star within the league. His snub from the All-Star selection this season thus had understandably raised eyebrows all around.

The post Victor Wembanyama’s 10-Block Triple-Double Impresses Skip Bayless, Leaves FS1 Analyst Confused About Spurs appeared first on The SportsRush.

It’s worth noting that Bol Bol and Wemby are similar in stature, both being 7-foot-4 tall big men for their teams. However, the difference is that Wemby is miles ahead of Bol Bol, simply in terms of scoring potential. For last night’s win against the Utah Jazz, Bol added six points, two blocks, and one rebound for the Suns’ eventual 129-115 win at home.

Interestingly, Bol Bol had a 60% shooting percentage last night during his 14 minutes on the floor. As a result, Shaq defended his stance on Bol after the center’s highlights were displayed on the screen. “Bol Bol!” the Diesel yelled out initially, “Give me some Bol Bol. Look at that. Come on Kenny.”

Meanwhile, Barkley made a joke about Bol Bol’s performance which prompted Shaq to say live on the Inside the NBA show, “Same thing your boy Wembanyama would do…I am not disrespecting him [Wemby], I am just saying Bol Bol was the first one to do it.”

 When Barkley asked Shaq if he thought Bol Bol was as good as Wemby, the Diesel confidently replied, “Yes, I do.”  To this, Ernie Johnson hilariously remarked, ” He [Bol] exploded for six tonight on two-of-five shooting!” 

Shaq further jokingly argued how the Suns have a better record in the league than the Spurs, which means, “Bol Bol’s better cause the team’s got a better record…I reward team, not individuals.”  This was actually a taunt from Shaq meant for the Chuckster, who had claimed in a previous edition that players on teams with a winning record deserve precedence in All-Star selection.

However, Shaq’s comparison of Bol Bol and Wembanyama is widely misconstrued. The big man had simply said that Wembanyama didn’t have a unique skill set because Bol Bol displayed the same traits before him. The only difference is that Wemby is the more consistent player.

Kevin Garnett resonates with Shaq comparing Victor Wembanyama to Bol Bol

Shaquille O’Neal has remained adamant, rooting for Bol Bol over Victor Wembanyama for quite some time now. At the start of the season, Shaq boldly remarked on the Inside Show, “No, I’m not because if you listen to what I said, I said you guys are acting like Wemby is the first 7-foot-5 player that dribble coast to coast, put it between his legs and shot a three [pointer].”  The big man further argued, “Bol Bol is the first. I never compared the two. I just said you guys act like you’ve never seen it before, but you have. You’ve seen Bol Bol do it.”

Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett resonates with Shaq rooting for the Suns center. In a recent matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers last month, Bol Bol was near perfect on the court, scoring 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in his 19 minutes of play.

This made many believe in the center’s potential and made fans want more highlights of the American-Sudanese player. On his Instagram story, Garnett posted Bol Bol’s highlights with the caption, “YESSSSSSSSSS, can we PLS,” seeking more highlights of the player.

Bol Bol has been getting ample minutes this season and had previously played an incredible 11-point game against the Portland Trail Blazers. However, if we compare the averages of the two player, Bol Bol is far behind with 3.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game, as compared to Wemby’s 20.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.

The post “He Exploded for 6 Tonight”: Shaquille O’Neal’s Love for Bol Bol over Victor Wembanyama Gets Interrupted by Ernie Johnson appeared first on The SportsRush.

A three-way competition in the Skills Challenge is a first and quite peculiarly, there is no Point Guard in the Ant-Wemby-Banchero combination. However, considering strict positioning roles are slowly disappearing from the NBA, there should be no strict requirement for a traditional PG in a three-a-side game. Moreover, any of the three can run the point as a floor general if needed.

An all No. 1 overall pick team at the Skills Challenge at NBA All-Star weekend includes, per sources:

– Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards
– Orlando’s Paolo Banchero
– San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama pic.twitter.com/qeWi5SMGzw

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 7, 2024

On his Fan Duel-powered Run It Back pod, Charania touched upon this new concept of skills challenge and also revealed the trio’s likely rivals, who will hail from the host team, the Indiana Pacers.

“There is an interesting team that’s developing for the Skills Challenge. It’s an All-Indiana team, Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Bennedict Mathurin, that’s gonna comprise the team for the All-Star Skills Challenge. They’re also gonna be playing against a team led by Victor Wembanyama,” Shams Charania told co-host Michelle Beadle.

“There’s an interesting team that’s developing for the Skills Challenge, it’s an all Indiana team. Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Bennedict Mathurin.”@ShamsCharania on the NBA Skills Challenge.

: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/sbgtryR13m

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 7, 2024

This is the first time that an All-Star Skills Challenge will have a team-wise competition. In the yesteryear competitions, there were separate rounds for big men and guards. The winner of the respective rounds competed in the Finals. However, the NBA is planning to turn this into a team-based competition. While the Pacers trio is complementary, considering Haliburton’s top-notch passing, Mathurin’s creativity, and Myles Turner’s big-man shooting chops, the Wemby-squad has an odd mix.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by NBA (@nba)

Banchero, Wembaynama, and Edwards can create their shots, but none of them are pass-first players. However, at 7’4”, Wemby has showcased some terrific dribbling moves as attested by his Shammgod wonder. Meanwhile, Edwards is an all-purpose scorer and ball-handler whereas Banchero is one of the most versatile players out there. With this concept, the 2024 All-Star continues to throw curveballs at fans. The teaming up of the 2020, 2022, and 2023 NBA Drafts’ #1 picks will surely add to the intrigue of the already thrilling event.

An experimental All-Star affair

Apart from this novel concept of a Skills Challenge trio face-off, one other peculiar event that has garnered a lot of attention is a standalone three-point competition. WNBA’s magical shooter Sabrina Ionescu is set to square off against the NBA’s best three-point shooter of all time, Stephen Curry. This face-off is the first time that a three-point competition is occurring in the cross-league format. Considering Ionescu’s 37-point mark in the WNBA Three-Point Competition and Steph’s 31 being the highest in the NBA, it will be an intriguing matchup.

While Ionescu will use her WNBA’s 6-size basketball, Curry will naturally shoot with the NBA’s 7-size ball. The WNBA’s premier shooter had the chance to shoot from 20 feet 6 inches, which is the WNBA’s three-point distance. However, Ionescu has decided to compete from the NBA three-point range of 23 feet 9 inches. The two will follow the Starry Three-Point contest rules. Under this, there will be four racks with four-game balls, in addition to a money ball, two money racks, and two ‘Starry range” balls. A game ball is worth 1 point, a money ball worth 2, while the starry range shot fetches 3 points. 

The post NBA All-Star Game 2024: Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, and Paolo Banchero will Team Up Against Pacers Trio During Skills Challenge appeared first on The SportsRush.

During a play, the exhilarating Spurs Center received the ball from Tre Jones and began his move around the three-point line. Then around the mid-range, Wemby faked a dribble to the left with his left hand and in a breathtaking sequence, switched the ball to his right hand after faking Gobert out of his shoes. By the time Gobert recovered, his French compatriots made a lay-up that was akin to a walk in the park for the player with a massive wing span. Despite being a 7+ foot player, he pulled off a move that even elite guards can struggle to perform.

On KG Certified, while reviewing the highlights of the week, Garnett revisited the move and called it a “brainfu**”. He compared Wembanyama’s mechanics similar to the ones performed in NBA 2k games. Garnett envisioned the move on a joystick while playing 2k. He played out, “Right stick with the left stick, he got Turbo Action, man. Like, he he[Wembanyama] got some 2k sh** man.”

Studying the play on his Tablet, the 2004 MVP noted how at the beginning of the play, Wemby acquired perfect spacing. Then while witnessing the Shammgod move, Garnett was filled with boundless excitement, and let out a series of “Ahhhhh!” Garnett observed that Wembanyama could have even made a dunk instead of a finesse lay-up. The former Celtics forward replayed the move from a different angle and was even more excited after watching the Shammgod, once again letting out a series of “Ahhhh!” Garnett then recalled his initial feeling that Wembanyama could have stuffed a jam over Gobert’s head.

“Bro, I[Garnett] really felt he[Wembanyama] could’ve put this on his[Gobert] motherfu**ing head if he wanted to,” Garnett remarked.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by KG: Certified (@kgcertified)

Later in his reaction, KG predicted that Wembanyama was soon going to use that move and posterize someone in the process. On a scale of 1 to 10, KG rated Wemby’s Shammgod 25 out of 10, implying that he considers it one of the best if not the best plays he has ever seen. Garnett also highlighted how even some guards can’t perform this maneuver. KG has been raving about Wemby for a long time now and this move vindicated his expectations of him.

Kevin Garnett has backed the Victor Wembanyama Hype Train

In early November 2023, Garnett compared Wemby to two of the best big men in the history of basketball, David Robinson and Tim Duncan. He likened the rookie all-star’s aura to Robinson and Duncan who also wreaked havoc on the league as Spurs rookies. On his show ‘The Truth and The Ticket’, he expressed, “When you saw David Robinson the first time, you saw it. You didn’t know what you were looking for, but you saw it,” said Garnett. “And then you saw Tim Duncan, same. [Wembanyama] has the ‘it factor.’ He’s a top-tier scorer, he got it to where he can lead a team.”

It’s not just retired players who are seeing the “It Factor”, Wemby’s peers also rave about his abilities. New Orleans Pelicans Forward Zion Williamson even predicted the future accolades for the All-Star Center. After a 114-113 win against Wembanyama and the Spurs, Williamson called the Spurs Center “a very special player“. Zion forecasted, “He’s[Wembanyama] a dude that can get two or three Defensive Player of the Years. I don’t want to put no label on it, but he can get Defensive Player of the Years and MVPs.”

“We haven’t seen nothing like that…he’s an amazing player.”

Zion with big praise for Wemby after battling tonight pic.twitter.com/tWmWwjeWRZ

— NBA (@NBA) February 3, 2024

Williamson also touched upon the tutelage of veteran genius coach Gregg Popovich who knows how to mould superstar players. Wembanyama has not only lived up to the hype but has built loftier expectations among his peers. 

The post “Could’ve Put This On His Motherf**king Head”: Victor Wembanyama’s Shammgod On Rudy Gobert Had Kevin Garnett Wanting More appeared first on The SportsRush.

With around 10 seconds remaining on the game clock and the New Orleans Pelicans trailing by one point, CJ McCollum had an exceptional effort on the defensive end, preventing Tre Jones from hitting the layup. However, Victor Wembanyama was wide open under the basket. Every fan was certain that Wemby would be able to flush down the putback. But, Brandon Ingram jumped and swatted away the 7ft 4” center’s attempt.

Grabbing the ball off the glass, Jose Alverado quickly passed the rock to Zion Williamson. Despite being surrounded by three players, Williamson knocked down a layup with only 3.8 seconds remaining on the clock.

Ingram block then a clutch finish by Zion pic.twitter.com/iu2jFaQuHg

— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) February 3, 2024

Following the win, the 6ft 6” forward shed light on the importance of Ingram’s defensive play. Zion even revealed how he let BI know about the same via a text.

“I sent him a text message right after the game cause he was already doing his lift, BI if you dont get that block, I dont think we’re winning this game,” Williamson said.

“I sent him a text message right after the game cause he was already doing his lift, BI if you dont get that block, I dont think we’re winning this game”

— Zion on Ingram’s block and his clutch basket pic.twitter.com/gprRDnb6Dw

— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) February 3, 2024

The southpaw also appreciated his coach and teammates for trusting him with the ball during the clutch situation.

“My coach trusts me in transition, my teammates trust me. That’s why Jose kicked it ahead and I had to go finish,” Williamson expressed gratitude.

Brandon Ingram deserves a lot more credit for the defensive play. Had it not been for Ingram’s block, the Pels would’ve had to find a way to drill a three-pointer only to send the game to overtime. And with the Louisiana side only shooting 29.6% from beyond the arc, it would’ve been difficult for them to find the game-tying bucket.

Zion Williamson lauds Victor Wembanyama after the entertaining duel

The Zion Williamson-Victor Wembanyama matchup lived up to its hype. While Wemby recorded a solid 16-point, 14-rebound double-double with 7 assists and 3 blocks, Williamson put up a stellar 33-point, 8-rebound outing.

Following their entertaining duel, Williamson dished out some praise to the #1 pick of the 2023 draft. The former Duke Blue Devil stated how the French phenom was a “special” talent with the capabilities of winning multiple Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player trophies.

“Victor’s a very special player. We were just talking about in the locker room, he’s a dude that can get two or three Defensive Player of the Years. I don’t want to put no label on it, but he can get Defensive Player of the Years and MVPs. We haven’t seen nothing like that. We’ve seen things close, but not like that,” Zion said.

“We haven’t seen nothing like that…he’s an amazing player.”

Zion with big praise for Wemby after battling tonight pic.twitter.com/tWmWwjeWRZ

— NBA (@NBA) February 3, 2024

Even after his first meeting with Wemby, Zanos dished out advice. Following the 17^th December clash, the Pelicans forward had a genuine message for the youngster – “keep focusing on your craft”.

“My advice to him is just keep focusing on your craft. I mean, you didn’t get that hype for no reason. So just keep focusing on your craft, keep your head on straight, and you’ll be fine,” Williamson stated.

Following Zion’s advice, Wembanyama has shifted gears and improved drastically. In January, the rookie lodged a staggering 24 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game. Leading all rookies in points, rebounds, and blocks, Victor Wembanyama has established himself as a frontrunner to win the Rookie of the Year award.

The post “Brandon Ingram, if You Don’t Get That Block…”: Zion Williamson Credits Pelicans Teammate After Game-Winning Bucket Against Spurs appeared first on The SportsRush.

In a recent appearance on the Men in Blazers podcast, Embiid revealed how he could have made smarter and better decisions that helped him score even higher numbers in that game. Embiid seemed disappointed and angry at himself for missing some easy shots and even felt he could have played more minutes. Speaking to the host of the ‘Men in Blazers’ podcast, the Philadelphia 76ers big man said,

“You know what? I’ll be honest because after the game, I was actually mad at myself because I thought I could have been better. Like, I thought I left so many points on the board, left so many easy ones. To be honest, I think I wasn’t pushing enough. Because, I think if I was really trying to push forward, I could have played more minutes.” 

One of the biggest motivations for Embiid to turn into a scoring machine that night was facing the Spurs and his new rival in the league, Victor Wembanyama. Facing Wemby was one of the biggest challenges for Embiid, which he overcame by showcasing a monster-like performance through his career-high scoring record that night.

It’s quite impressive to see how Embiid continues to strive and achieve way more than ordinary, which reminds many of Kobe Bryant’s mentality towards the game. After Kobe’s 81-point game, he kept striving for more. Many also saw this same spirit in Joel Embiid, who dedicated his 70-point game in honor of the Black Mamba.

Victor Wembanyama was inspired by Joel Embiid’s 70-point game

Joel Embiid set a franchise record with his 70-point game against the San Antonio Spurs while setting a career-high number for himself. However, no one can deny how the Cameroonian star proved to have put in one of the best-scoring performances in the league’s history. Alongside his 70 points, Embiid gathered 18 rebounds, five assists, and one steal while shooting 24-of-41 from the floor and 1 of 2 behind the three-point line.

The game was particularly inspiring for Victor Wembanyama, who was considered a rival against the Philadelphia big man. Sharing his thoughts on Embiid’s performance, Wemby said, “It would have been more fun in a win, of course, but it’s inspiring, especially offensively.” 

Though Spurs could not record a victory that night, Wemby was also pretty impressive on the floor. The rookie scored 33 points, seven boards, two assists, and two blocks while shooting 10/19 from the floor and 2/5 behind the three-point line. Highly praising the young French prodigy, Embiid said,  “He’s got everything, size, skill, got everything. Bright future. He’s already pretty good. Once he develops, he’s going to be a lot of problems for a lot of guys in this league.”

It’s clear that Embiid already has a lot of respect for Wembanyama’s talent, much like many other stars in the NBA. That said, the young Frenchaman still seems to have a long way to go at the moment.

The post “I Was Mad at Myself”: Joel Embiid Confesses Berating Himself for the Errors Made During the 70-Point Performance appeared first on The SportsRush.

Way back in 2014, Charles Barkley got into somewhat of a beef with the women of San Antonio. Sir Charles’ comment on San Antonio having ‘Some big ol women down there,’ led him to imitate and state that the women of San Antonio are big because of the amount of Churros they consume.

The very same year, Charles Barkley made another remark on the sale of Churros in San Antonio. In fact, he had also made the same ‘Big ol women’ statement prior to his imitation on the show earlier that year.

Before things could take a dark turn and turn into something serious, Charles Barkley went on to issue an apology to the women in San Antonio later in 2017. Sir Charles dedicated a small segment to the San Antonio females after he himself tried Churros for the first time.

“I wanna apologize to the women of San Antonio. Because Ernie, Ernie, I had Churros last night. I see what all the excitement is about.”

Barkley instantly issued an apology to the women of San Antonio and their love for Churros once he tried them. And after giving Churros a try, Sir Charles could not help but appreciate the Spanish delicacy and back off of his previous comments.

Charles Barkley’s love for Churros

After calling out the women of San Antonio for being big and consuming a large amount of Churros, Charles Barkley quickly changed his stance once he tried them for the first time and instantly became a fan.

The Round Mound of Rebound may have become an advocate of the cinnamon-powdered fried sticks because he even went on to ask the number one pick of the 2023 NBA draft how he felt about Churros.

Charles Barkley once asked Victor Wembanyama how he felt about Churros. Wembanyama, who had not heard of the delicacy was visibly confused when Barkley insisted that he had been in San Antonio long enough to know what a Churro was.

The San Antonio Spurs rookie asked the people of his city to make him try what Churros were before he signed off. But having a look at the entire timeline of Barkley’s comments and his take on Churros, it seems as if it came to a full circle after all in the end.

The post Charles Barkley and Churros: How NBA Legend Went From Mocking San Antonio Women to Apologizing Over Delicacy appeared first on The SportsRush.