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By Matt Audilet
Contributing Sports Writer
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Victor Wembanyama is on the rise as one of the best basketball players in the world.
This past year, the 7-foot-4 Frenchman led the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals at just 22 years old. He was unanimously voted as the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year and finished third in league MVP voting, trailing only back-to-back winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
In his third NBA season, Wembanyama averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game — leading the league in rejections for the third consecutive year.
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During an appearance on the "To The Baha" podcast, retired NBA star Gilbert Arenas said Wembanyama is not a top-five player in the the league.
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“You got Luka, you got Giannis, you got Shai, you got Jokic, you know Kevin Durant is still playing?" Arenas said. "I don’t know who to put out of the top five, because you’re putting him in the top five off of projection of what you think he’s going to be vs. the actual output.
"Defensively he was [No. 1]. Offensively, he’s not top 10 offensively."
Wembanyama agreed to a five-year, $252 million extension with the Spurs earlier this offseason. If he continues his current career trajectory, he should be even more dominant in 2026-27.
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