On Monday, the San Antonio Spurs stole Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on the road against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, 122-115, in double overtime.
Victor Wembanyama put up a stat line that hadn’t been matched in a Conference Finals debut since Wilt Chamberlain did it decades ago. Among the millions watching was Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, who decided basketball comparisons weren’t quite enough to break down Wemby’s dominance.
Shannon Sharpe Compares Victor Wembanyama to NFL Legends Tom Brady, Peyton Manning
Just a few hours after Wemby eviscerated Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, Sharpe went straight to football’s mountaintop to find a comparison worthy of what he had just witnessed.
“Wemby is that quarterback. Wemby is Tom Brady, Peyton Manning,” Sharpe said on the Nightcap show. “When you got [him], you know everything will be okay. ‘Cuz I know he could score me 40. I know he could give me 20+ rebounds, but guess what, I know he could neutralize your entire team.”
Sharpe then praised the Defensive Player of the Year’s impact on the other end, where every drive becomes an agonizing decision for opposing offenses.
“You’re gonna be afraid. You see Jaylen Williams. Anybody else? That’s a layup. Wemby said, ‘Did you forget who?’ You must have forgot,” Sharpe continued. “That ain’t no layup when I’m close by! It ain’t no layup! If I’m in a surrounding county, that’s not a layup. If I’m in another state, that’s a layup. But if I’m in a county next to your’s, yeah, try me if you want to.”
The Brady-Manning comparison is high praise from Sharpe, who played 14 NFL seasons and won three Super Bowls (two with the Denver Broncos alongside John Elway and one with the Baltimore Ravens). He knows exactly what it looks like when a single player can neutralize an entire team’s scheme.
Wembanyama finished Game 1 with 41 points, 24 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks across 49 minutes of work. He shot 14-of-25 from the floor and 12-of-13 from the free-throw line.
At 22 years and 134 days, Wembyy is the youngest player in NBA history to record a 40-point, 20-rebound game in the playoffs, taking the mark from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who did it at 22 years and 352 days old (1974). He is also just the second player in Spurs franchise history to record a 40-20 line in any playoff game, joining David Robinson (1996).
He is also only the second player in NBA history to post a 40-point and 20-rebound line in a Conference Finals debut, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1960).
The French phenom saved his best work for the moments that mattered the most. He scored 9 of his 41 points in the second overtime alone. He went a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor with 4 rebounds and a block in that five-minute stretch.
His game-tying logo three-pointer with 27 seconds left in the first overtime forced the second extra session, and his and-1 dunk over Chet Holmgren with 61 seconds remaining in double overtime gave San Antonio the lead for good.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who received his second consecutive MVP trophy from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver before tipoff, shot just 7-of-23 against the Spurs’ defense and finished with 24 points and 12 assists.
Alex Caruso scored 31 points on 8-of-14 shooting from three-point range to keep Oklahoma City within striking distance. The Spurs improved to 5-1 against the Thunder this season, with Game 2 tipping off Wednesday night at Paycom Center.
