Hall of Fame former ABA and NBA power forward Spencer Haywood has weighed in on the superstar whose game two-time All-Star San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama's best resembles.
The 7-foot-4 superstar has felt like a cheat code during his three seasons in the league thus far — at least, when he's been able to stay on the floor. Wembanyama's skillset is utterly unique, as he's just as liable to pop up for a trey off the dribble as he is to drive inside and dunk over everybody.
Across 32 healthy bouts for the 31-15 Spurs this season, the league's two-time blocks champ has been averaging 24.2 points on.506/.377/.832 shooting splits, 11.1 boards, 2.8 dimes, 2.7 rejections and 0.8 swipes a night.
Which NBA Legend Most Resembles Victor Wembanyama?
Haywood recently chatted with longtime NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson about the cleanest classic league comp for Wembanyama.
"I got on Ralph [Sampson] early about that mess for him not taking his crown because Ralph was the original," Haywood told Robinson. "And so, I’ve seen this before and one thing I can say about Ralph is that I wish that he’d have left college early because he would have had a LOT of good years in his legs before he got hurt. My gosh… what a player."
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Like Wembanyama, Sampson was a highly-touted 7-foot-4 jump-shooting center who was selected with the No. 1 pick by a team in the Lone Star State.
After drafting Hakeem Olajuwon the next season, the Houston Rockets quickly put together a productive "twin towers" ultra-big lineup with Sampson. The dynamic duo managed to make the 1986 NBA Finals, and looked to be the next team of the decade.
Sampson's large-but-skinny frame couldn't quite handle the wear and tear of the game. Ultimately, he was flipped to the Golden State Warriors as his body began to break down. Still, Sampson managed to make four All-Star squads and an All-NBA team during his peak years, and he was deservingly named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Houston retooled around Olajuwon and eventually did win two championships, in 1994 and '95.
As for Haywood, the 6-foot-8 Detroit Mercy product kicked off his pro career with the ABA's Denver Rockets in 1969-70, before hopping over to the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics.
He was an ABA All-Star during his one-and-done season with Denver. Haywood suited up for the Seattle SuperSonics, New York Knicks, New Orleans Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, and Washington Bullets at the NBA level. He was a four-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA honoree.
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