San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, if last night’s Game 1 is any indication, is the best basketball player in the world. He has been flirting with that conversation for a while now in his third season, but he officially ascended into that status of NBA player with a historic and epic showing against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Victor Wembanyama carries Spurs to Game 1 win

Victory Wembanyama had an absurd stat line of 41 points, 24 rebounds, and three assists. He is the youngest player in NBA history (at 22 years, 134 days) to score at least 40 points and add 20 or more rebounds in a playoff game. He did it against the defending champions in their arena in the Conference Finals.

It came on the day Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was presented the MVP award. Wembanyama finished third in voting. It wasn’t a pointed message, though. “The message would be that we as a team are ready to go into any environment, any place against anybody,” Wembanyama said. “Even though we’ve still got a lot to learn, our effort should be over everybody else’s. Tonight, we were relentless.”

Wembanyama hit a nearly 30-foot pull-up three with under 30 seconds to go in overtime to tie it and force double overtime, where the Spurs went on to win. It was an impossible and ridiculous shot that no center in the world should really even be attempting.

To further contextualize this incredible game, Wembanyama went into Oklahoma City against the best team in the sport and was +16 in a seven-point double overtime game. He and Carter Bryant were the only players to record a plus/minus of double digits.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scuffles versus Spurs

While one superstar was having a coming-out party, another struggled. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, after winning two straight MVPs, has a case as the best player in the world. But in this matchup against Victor Wembanyama, he struggled like he so rarely does.

While Wembanyama dominated and was +16, the MVP went for 24 points on 7/23 shooting. He did add 12 assists, but he was -15. That makes him, by that metric, the worst player on the floor in Game 1. No other player was minus double digits. It was a shocking showing from someone who’s been so consistent for the last few seasons. He rarely has bad nights like this.

“We just got to be better — me, in particular. I have to be better, especially against a team of this caliber. Nothing more than that.” “I know what my teammates are capable of, what we’re capable of as a team when we bring it,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “It’s just unfortunate that I wasn’t able to bring my best game tonight, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Sometimes, you’re your best version, sometimes you’re not. You’ve got to roll with the punches, don’t get discouraged and stay true to who you are.”

The Thunder had previously not lost in the postseason. They swept the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Spurs and Wembanyama are clearly a different animal. These two teams are in for a heavyweight fight, and this was only the beginning.

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