Spurs center Victor Wembanyama joins elite company (*82*) 82 games in the NBA

SAN ANTONIO (AP) San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama had one other monster performance that put him in the record books in impressive company.

Wembanyama had 34 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Sacramento Kings 116-96 on Monday night.

It was Wembanyama’s 82nd profession game, helping the 7-foot-3 French No. 1 pick in 2023 play a full season of games.

With his stellar performance, Wembanyama joined Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Blake Griffin and Sidney Wicks as the only players in league history to amass 1,700 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists in their first 82 games.

Experienced playmaker Chris Paul believes the league has yet to see Wembanyama’s best performance.

“I wish you could see the work you do day in and day out,” veteran Spurs point guard Chris Paul said. “You understand how talented he’s, but he has the will to wish to improve. His willingness to work on things. The more games we play, I feel we’ll all get to know one another higher.

Featured Stories

Wembanyama was named Rookie of the Year and finished second to compatriot Rudy Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year last season. In 71 games, he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and led the league with a median of three.6 blocks.

In addition to his 4.0 block average, his stats are a bit down this season, but he’s feeling higher (*82*) an extended summer spent helping France win silver at the Paris Olympics.

Wembanyama had 24 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks in Saturday’s 111-110 loss to Utah. He set a profession high for 3-pointers by going 6-of-9 against the Jazz.

It was Wembanyama’s third profession game, in which he scored 20 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and five three-pointers. That’s the most in league history, surpassing Boston center Kristaps Porzingis’ two such games.

Wembanyama made 6 of 12 3-pointers against the Kings, a career-high.

After a slow start that saw his three-point shooting drop to 25%, Wembanyama is 14-of-27 from three-point range over the last three games.

“I just hit better threes,” Wembanyama said. “Yes, of course, I feel better. I’m 20 years old and I hope to feel better over the next few years. There is no reason to feel worse.”