Victor Wembanyama’s supersized ‘Shammgod’ is breaking our brains

Victor Wembanyama’s supersized ‘Shammgod’ is breaking our brains

Victor Wembanyama’s rookie season is almost over, and what a season it’s been. The 7’5 French sensation was hyped as the best prospect to enter the NBA since LeBron James, and somehow he’s lived up to that lofty billing. It seems like every game there’s a new Wembanyama sequence that blows our mind. He had two of those against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.

The Grizzlies had a three-on-one fastbreak against Wembanyama and still couldn’t score — or even get a good look at the rim. Wembanyama is going to be the best defensive player in the league maybe as early as next season. His offense is coming along too, and the flashes of high-level skill are truly amazing for someone his size.

The “shamgod” is one of the most storied crossovers in basketball, created by former Providence College star and Washington Wizards guard God Shammgod in the ‘90s. Even the NBA’s most skilled ball handlers struggle to pull it off. Wembanyama did it in against the Grizzlies — and then added a spin move for good measure. The fact that he went into this out of a dribble-handoff is even wilder. Watch the play here:

A 7’5 guard hitting a “shammgod” is unreal. A 7’5 guy doing it in an extremely tight space near the paint, and then linking it with a spin move is something only the most chaotic basketball brains could even imagine.

This 20-year-old giant really created a new move we’ve never seen before:

The San Antonio Spurs are terrible, but it’s only a matter of time before Wembanyama has them humming at the top of the league. It’s wild to imagine that Wemby is only going to get so much better from here. The rest of the NBA should be terrified.