Giannis Antetokounmpo Offers Lofty Prediction for Victor Wembanyama's NBA Future

The two superstars squared off Wednesday night in Milwaukee.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) holds the ball away from Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks hosted the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, which provided the opportunity to see Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama compete on the same court. That is an incredible amount of length, athleticism and arms and legs in one place and a testament to how much the sport has evolved. Antetokounmpo got the best of Wembanyama as he had a big night and stymied the second-year Spurs star in the Bucks' 121–105 win.

More importantly, they combined for this highlight, which feels like something you'd see between two created players on a video game.

After the game, Antetokounmpo had some high praise for his younger competitor, predicting that barring something strange or unfortunate, Wemby will be the face of the NBA for years to come.

"He's an incredible talent," he said. "He's probably one of the most talented players I've ever watched on TV, ever played against. This is his second year in the league, he's way better than his first year, he's gonna keep on improving and he has a very, very bright future. 

"He's just gotta keep working on his game, keep working on himself, keep playing the game with joy and he's gonna be the face of the league for a lot of years."

That's not exactly a bold claim but it does mean a lot more than usual since it's coming from one of the current faces of the league. It may not seem like it but Giannis is 30, nine years Wemby's senior and he may not be on the LeBron James play-until-I'm-44 plan so the torch may get passed officially right when the young phenom is entering his prime. Any perceived ceiling set for Wembanyama could end up being far too low because ... my goodness what if he gets a lot better at that size?

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