Victor Wembanyama celebrated his 20th birthday by going viral again.
A Wemby dunk against the Boston Celtics on New Year’s Day was so impressive that a video of the surreal slam is already on the verge of becoming the NBA’s most-viewed Instagram video ever.
Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama turned the Celtics’ Derrick White into a poster
While the San Antonio Spurs were blown out 134-101 at home, the recent No. 1 overall pick took flight near the free-throw line and completed a dunk that truly must be seen to be believed.
“Just toying with the little kids,” said an announcer, describing what it looked like when the 7ft 4in San Antonio rookie smoothly glided through the air and made a Boston defender look miniscule.
“Poor Derrick White, but he’s going to end up on every highlight,” a second announcer said.
Even the NBA seemed stunned by the viral must-see video.
“Victor Wembanyama’s dunk on Dec. 31 has generated 88.8M views in just 4 days on the NBA’s Instagram and is on the verge of taking the No. 1 spot as the account’s most-viewed video EVER,” the league’s official public relations account tweeted on January 4.
The Spurs lost again on Friday, falling 125-121 to the Milwaukee Bucks and dropping to a 5-29 record this season.
But Wemby greatly impressed Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rookie phenom had another big numbers night, scoring 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting with nine rebounds and five blocks.
“He’s an unbelievable talent,” Antetokounmpo said. “Can score any time he wants. Plays the right way. Plays to win. It was great playing against him.”
Wemby looked every bit of 7’4″ on this play against Boston 🤯 pic.twitter.com/sTkujr0t3a
— NBA (@NBA) January 1, 2024
Wembanyama is averaging 19.2 points with 10.1 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 30 games while shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 29.1 percent on 3-pointers.
“I’m a competitor, so I want to go at everyone and be the bad guy on the court,” Wembanyama said.
Viral highlights have followed Wemby since his overseas playing days and he was heavily hyped entering the draft.
Despite San Antonio’s struggles, the French native has wowed on the hardwood and impressed everyone from LeBron James and Kevin Durant to Tom Brady and the Greek Freak.
Wemby, who could soon hold the record for the most-viewed NBA Instagram video at age 20, gets a chance to go viral again on Sunday when the Spurs face the Cavaliers in Cleveland.