Victor Wembanyama garners praise from LeBron James for historic 5x5 stat line: ‘He doesn’t have a ceiling’

Victor Wembanyama garners praise from LeBron James for historic 5×5 stat line: ‘He doesn’t have a ceiling’

Victor Wembanyama enjoyed one of the best nights of his young career Friday. And this one drew plaudits from perhaps the highest possible source: Lakers star LeBron James.

Wembanyama and James shared the ballroom Friday night, and they put on a show beneath the Crypto.com Arena lights. James poured in 30 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists to power Los Angeles to a 123-118 win.

And yet the NBA great found himself overshadowed by the Spurs rookie. Wembanyama became just the 15th player in NBA history to record a 5×5 stat line — at least 5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks.

MORE: What is a 5×5 game? Full list of NBA players to accomplish rare feat

The 20-year-old is the youngest player to do so, and he joins Jamaal Tinsley (2001) as the only rookies to have accomplished the feat. He became the first player with such a game since since Jusuf Nurkic in 2019.

Wemby finished the day with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks. He also garnered praise from James for his performance, one of the greatest first-year showings in league history.

James, 39, delivered a ringing endorsement of the budding San Antonio star.

“He doesn’t have a ceiling,” James said. “He can do whatever he wants to do in his career. It seems like he enjoys the game. It seems like he puts the work in, just from the outside looking in. … I said a long time ago how special he was, and it’s really that simple.”

James also suggested that Wembanyama is in the perfect place to cultivate his skillset — under the tutelage of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

“He has an unbelievable coach that’s going to make sure that he does things the right way, play the game the right way,” James added. “He’s already special but he’s going to continue to get better and better and better each and every game, each and every year he steps on the floor.”

Both players took to social media to give the world a glimpse of their burgeoning relationship. Basketball fans across the world rejoiced.