Thursday’s matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks featured two of the tallest players in the NBA with Giannis Antetokounmpo facing off against Victor Wembanyama for the first time. When Antetokounmpo got a closer look at Wembanyama, he certainly wasn’t buying that the Spurs rookie phenom is 7 feet 3 inches tall.
“He plays the right way, plays to win. I’ve never seen anything like him,” Antetokounmpo said following Thursday’s game. “I don’t know how tall he is, he’s not 7’3. He’s way taller. Whoever says he’s 7’3, that’s a lie…The sky is the limit as long as you work hard and keep on having a positive attitude towards the game. Everything he dreams of is going to happen for him.”
Antetokounmpo technically isn’t wrong when it comes to Wembanyama’s height. According to NBA.com, Wembanyama is officially listed at 7 feet 3 and a half inches on the league’s official website.
Despite a slow start, Wembanyama was able to settle in and score 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting, while also securing nine rebounds and blocking five shots on the night. However, Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks as he poured in 44 points en route to a 125-121 win against Wembanyama’s Spurs.
Wembanyama has definitely appeared as advertised since the Spurs took him with the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The rookie big man is currently averaging 19.2 points. 10.1 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks, while shooting 44.9 percent from the field.