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Photo of LeBron James Moonshot Over Victor Wembanyama Is Instantly Iconic

NBA fans will be seeing this photo for years to come.

Tom Dierberger

Photo of LeBron James Moonshot Over Victor Wembanyama Is Instantly Iconic
Photo of LeBron James Moonshot Over Victor Wembanyama Is Instantly Iconic /
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The first Lakers-Spurs matchup between LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama has not disappointed.

In the closing minute of the first half with Los Angeles trailing by nine points, the rookie Wembanyama guarded James in the corner.

James paused for several seconds, took one dribble and flicked up a high-arching shot over the 7'4" Wembanyama’s outstretched arm.

Swish.

The play resulted in an iconic photo of James and Wembanyama, a pair of generational talents taken at the top of their draft classes 20 years apart.

Iconic is right.

James now has faced every No. 1 draft pick since 1990 besides ‘91 top choice Larry Johnson, who retired in 2001. 

That list includes everyone from Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber and Allen Iverson to Anthony Edwards, Paolo Banchero and now, the rookie sensation known as Wemby.

Wembanyama and James will meet again Feb. 23 when the Spurs visit the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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