Is Victor Wembanyama NBA's next big thing? How his stats stack up with the league's best

Victor Wembanyama, the first pick in the 2023 NBA draft, officially begins his NBA career tonight when San Antonio Spurs host the Dallas Mavericks at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The 19-year-old sensation, who has wowed at the highest amateur levels, powered his French professional team this summer to the LNB Finals. The Mets 92 ultimately fell in a three-game sweep to favorite AS Monaco, a team with several former NBA players.

Now the question is: How will the French teen's skills translate to a league full of NBA players? His preseason results were impressive: He led the league in blocks per game and averaged just under a point per minute.

Who else have the Spurs drafted 1st overall?

What we do know is that Wembanyama has some very big shoes (20.5, according to footwearnews.com), and he'll be stepping into some proverbial big shoes on the Spurs, too: Hall of Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

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Victor Wembanyama's stats during last two seasons

It's a bit of apples and oranges to compare him with a stellar high schooler like LeBron James, a one-and-done college player like Anthony Davis or even a four-year college career like Duncan's – the Spurs' last No. 1 pick.

So for now, we can compare the very basics: Wembanyama's height and weight to the stars he'll be competing against and hundreds of others who have come before.

Who are the tallest players ever in the NBA

Once Wembanyama steps on the floor on Wednesday night, he will join a fraternity of the 25 tallest players in NBA history. He did not attend the NBA combine, so there's no official record now of his height, but most, including his NBA profile, say he's 7-foot-4 and estimates have ranged from 7-3 to 7-5. How that compares to others who have played in the league.

Tallest NBA players in the 2022-23 season

Had Wembanyama played during the 2022-23 season, he would have tied the Rockets' Boban Marjanović as the tallest player in the league. He's an inch taller than Kristaps Porzingis, who earned the nickname "The Unicorn" shortly after entering the NBA because of a mix of size and talent similar to that of Wembanyama. With that moniker taken, James once called Wembanyama "The Alien."

How will Wembanyama's body fit into the NBA

While Wembanyama will stand above nearly all of the 4,800 men who've played in the NBA, his estimated weight is only 5 pounds heavier than the median player in the 2022-23 season of 6-6 and 215 pounds, according to nba.com.

If you put every NBA player's height and weight on a single chart, you'll see Wembanyama's 19-year-old frame is much closer to rail-thin Manute Bol than Gheorghe Muresan. Some have speculated, though, that modern training techniques will help Wembanyama build muscle he'll need for the rigors of the NBA.

How Wembanyama's weight and height compare to NBA players

How Wembanyama's wingspan compares

Although intimidating to anyone he's covering, Wembanyama's 8-foot wingspan is still a couple of inches short of the longest recorded in NBA combine history. Tacko Fall, who most recently played in China last season, set the bar in 2019 at 8 feet, 2.25 inches.