What does the future hold for Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs?
The current team, which was unanimously named Rookie of the Year, enters its second season with new expectations as it aims to develop the team into a championship contender with the addition of a new point guard in future Hall of Famer Chris Paul and a star player who represents his generation.
And ESPN experts have high hopes for San Antonio's 7-foot-4 phenom.
How many league MVPs and titles will Wenbanyama win in his career? Will he follow in the footsteps of legendary Spurs big men Tim Duncan and David Robinson and spend his entire career in San Antonio? How many Olympic medals will Wenbanyama help win for France?
Our panel of ESPN writers, reporters, editors and analysts predict the future of the NBA's next superstar.
Victor Wembanyama will be the best player in the NBA by _____ season.
The race to become the league's next big player is still being decided, with young stars such as Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic vying for the title.
It's time to add Wenbanyama to the list.
While our panel doesn't expect Wemby to take the crown next season, the Spurs big man is on his way to becoming the best player in the NBA — and that could happen as early as the 2025-26 season — our panel was unanimous in predicting the Spurs phenom will dominate the league in the near future.
2025-26: 15.8%
2026-27: 42.1%
2027-28: 31.6%
2028-29: 10.5%
How many NBA titles will Wenby win?
1:41
Wenby's rookie season highlights are making waves around the NBA
Check out some of Victor Wembanyama's best plays from his rookie season with the Spurs.
Despite adding Wembanyama to the roster, the Spurs finished the 2023-24 season in 14th place in the West. and The Spurs are still far from competing for the championship, with a record of 22 wins and 60 losses, the same as last season, but they are trying to build an even stronger team with a budding superstar at the center.
But winning an NBA title is no easy feat. Only 12 players have won six or more titles, the record held by Bill Russell (11). For now, we expect Wenbanyama to be a close second in the list of players to win two championships, joining the likes of Bill Walton, Kevin Durant, Wilt Chamberlain and Kawhi Leonard.
One title: 26.3%
two: 36.8%
three: 31.6%
four: 5.3%
How many MVPs will Wenby win?
9:23
The Future Presented by SC Feature – Victor Wembanyama
Let's take a look at Victor Wembanyama's journey to become a global phenom and the first French player to be selected first overall in the draft.
Wembanyama was given high expectations coming into the league last season and responded by winning Rookie of the Year, becoming just the sixth player in NBA history to win the award unanimously, was also a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award and became the first rookie to be named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
But the accolades don't end there. Wenbanyama has his sights set on the MVP award, which he sees as a good barometer of the team's success.
Only nine players in NBA history have won three or more MVP awards, and the majority of our judges expect Wenbanyama to eventually join an elite group that includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6-time MVP), Michael Jordan (5-times), Bill Russell (5-times), LeBron James (4-times), Wilt Chamberlain (4-times), Larry Bird (3-times), Nikola Jokic (3-times), Magic Johnson (3-times) and Moses Malone (3-times).
1 MVP: 10.5%
two: 15.8%
three: 63.2%
four: 5.3%
5 or more: 5.3%
The Spurs will finish in _____ place in the Western Conference in 2024-25.
The Spurs, who went 22-60 in Wenbanyama's rookie season, are gunning for a playoff spot in a crowded Western Conference postseason. Our panel believes the Western Conference's depth of talent and lack of postseason experience means the Spurs may not be able to finish in the top six next season.
But don't worry, San Antonio, a play-in spot is almost 80% a big win away.
Play-in Tournament (7-10): 78.9%
Non-postseason (11-15): 21.1%
How many playoff series will Wenby and CP3 win in San Antonio (beyond 2024-25)?
0:54
Chris Paul is attracted to 'opportunity to play' with Spurs
Chris Paul spoke about his decision to join the Spurs, saying playing time and the opportunity to play under head coach Gregg Popovich were his motivations for signing with San Antonio.
The Spurs signed 12-time All-Star Chris Paul this offseason to help Wenbanyama develop. The 39-year-old point guard will join San Antonio's young roster, so it's unclear how many seasons Wenbanyama will play with him.
Those factors make the pair's failure to win a playoff series together the overwhelming choice. Those who voted for a three-series win are betting on either San Antonio making a surprise run to the Finals in 2025 or Paul playing multiple seasons with the franchise.
Zero Series Wins: 68.4%
One: 21.1%
three: 10.5%
Will Wenby spend his entire career in San Antonio?
Some of the Spurs' most successful players spent their entire careers in San Antonio with plenty of trophies to prove it. Hall of Famers David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were with the Spurs their whole lives, while others like Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker (who spent his final season with the Charlotte Hornets) moved on after finding success under coach Gregg Popovich. Wenbayama is in a unique position to carry on San Antonio's big man tradition, but several factors come into play when predicting his future in Texas. How long will Popovich remain coach? And how will the franchise surround its future All-Star? Our panel was mostly divided on Wenbayama's long-term future with the organization.
yes: 52.6%
no: 47.4%
How many Olympic medals will Wenby and France win during their basketball careers?
France has a proud history at the Olympics, but the 2024 host nation is just missing out on a gold medal. With three silver medals (1948, 2000, 2020), the Blues have come close to gold before, including at the last Olympics, but France, with Ouébanyama leading a group of young stars, will be a threat to the gold medal in the near future. With that in mind, our prediction is for Ouébanyama and France to win three medals over his career. Surprisingly, the survey saw a “2” and a “0” tied for second place, while 5.3% of our panel said they would lead Ouébanyama to at least four medals.
Zero medals: 21.1%
One: 15.8%
two: 21.1%
three: 36.8%
4 or more: 5.3%
