Victor Wembanyama gets GOAT take from DeMarcus Cousins
01/06/2025 01:16 PM
In the NBA, there’s no higher praise than being called the GOAT. That title is reserved for players like LeBron James and Michael Jordan — wherever you fall in that debate. So when you hear that word deployed by a former NBA player for Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, you take notice.
DeMarcus Cousins threw it out there on Monday in an interview with FanDuelTV’s Run it Back. Opining on Nikola Jokic’s comment that Wembanyama would be “remembered forever,” Cousins did not hesitate to agree.
"This kid has it all. … At minimum, [Wemby will] be the greatest defensive player of all time. Minimum. I'm calling that now. The sky's the limit for this kid."
DeMarcus Cousins on Victor Wembanyama
(via @RunItBackFDTV)pic.twitter.com/uojR2JRCwz
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“This is something we've never seen before in this sport,” Cousins said. “This kid has it all. He can literally do whatever he wants on the basketball court. Obviously the talent is there, the gift is there, it's just about staying healthy and staying consistent throughout his career.”
Cousins added that even Wembanyama’s floor places him as one of the all-time greats.
“It's not even an argument. At minimum, he will be the greatest defensive player of all time,” he said. “Minimum. I’m calling that now. The sky’s the limit for this kid.”
Cousins also said we’ve been having this discussion since before Wembanyama even played in NBA game — something patently unfair to the 21-year-old — but he’s done nothing in his first season-plus in the league to disappoint.
Nikola Jokic believes Spurs center Victor Wembanyama is even better than last year
Wembanyama played 71 games for the Spurs last year, averaging a double-double (21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks). This year, he’s not only raised his scoring average (25.7), he’s shooting a higher percentage from the field, free throw line and three-point line.
After the Spurs beat the Denver Nuggets, 113-110, on Friday, Jokic, a three-time MVP and 2023 NBA champion, heaped praise on the player eight years his junior.
“I think he’s better this year than last year,” Jokic said. “I think he’s a special player; I think that he is one of a kind and is gonna be remembered forever.”
Both players had phenomenal games that night, with Jokic going for 41 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, and Wembanyama scoring 35 to go with 18 boards and 4-6 shooting from three. Jokic definitively got the better of Wembanyama the next night as the Spurs and Nuggets finished their back-to-back. While Wembanyama struggled to shoot (7-19 FG, 2-12 3PT), Jokic made 19 shots from the field, tallying 46 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
The Spurs went 22-60 last year, Wembanyama’s rookie season. This year, they’re 18-17 to start the year with Wembanyama leading the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks.
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