Not LeBron or Curry: Why Wemby could be the All-Star Game savior

The NBA has a problem. It’s All-Star Game is bogus. If you’ve seen them lately, you know the level and the intensity is far from what we see on a nightly basis around the league. Victor Wembanyama might be the man to change that and save future All-Star Games.

Wemby makes ASG debut

After a long, long time of subpar, flat All-Star Games the league decided to completely reshape the structure of the weekend’s main event. They split the 24 All-Stars into three teams, added the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge and had a three game, four-team tournament. Team Shaq’s OGs beat Team Chucks international guys in what turned out to be a comfortable final that never really was close or competitive.

One of the players who wasn’t ready to go down without a fight for Team Chuck was Victor Wembanyama. Everything from his locker room attitude, to the way he played, to the reaction he had when his team lost told you this dude cared about competing. Before the game, NBA cameras picked up Nikola Jokic poking fun at the Frenchman for bringing a book to read before the game. “I always read before the game.” Said Wemby

In the pregame warm ups he was sprinting, dropping big dunks, and breaking an actual sweat as he went through his normal routine we see him do before his games with the Spurs. Moments before one of the games, TNT cameras flashed on him sitting on the bench, with his eyes closed, in deep thought, mentally preparing for the game.

Team Chuck’s MVP?

He carried that same sort of attitude to the game, and it was visible in Team Chuck’s semifinal game against Team Kenny’s youngsters. From the get go you could see the first time All-Star was playing with a different intensity than most of the other players. He was dunking, he was defending, he had a couple blocks, and looked like he did when he plays during the regular season for the Spurs.

He ended up with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks throughout the two games and as usual his length and size made it tough for opposing teams to score. One of the most telling signs of his eagerness to be at the All-Star Game was when Jayson Tatum ended the final on a wide open dunk, he was visibly upset, lifting his arms in the air as to say, “who was defending him?”

This should be comforting to see for NBA fans and those in charge of organizing the All-Star Game. Wemby is going to be the face of the league sooner than you think. When Steph Curry and LeBron finally hang it up and pass the torch, Wemby is going to be waiting with open arms. He’s the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year already and he’s not too far from playing at an MVP level.

The next face of the league?

On top of his play, and his freakish ability to move, dribble and shoot for a guy of his incredible dimensions he has international pull. Fans from all over the world tune in to watch Wemby. Just look at the NBA Paris Games where fans flew to the French capital from countries far and wide just to watch him. That’s the kind of star power guys like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan had. What made Kobe and MJ so special was their never ending competitive edge, and Wemby has that too.

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Kobe and MJ never took a play or a game off. Not even in the All-Star Game. Could you imagine either one of those guys not getting back on defense or throwing up half court shots with the game on the line? There was no messing around when they were on the floor, and their All-Star teammates followed suit. That’s what we can hope for from Wemby in All-Star Games to come.

I get it, this was Wemby’s first All-Star Game so that eagerness to impress was visible. Hopefully that won’t change over the next decade. If we are lucky, the only thing that will change is how everyone else approaches the All-Star Game.