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The San Antonio Spurs have landed the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft three times, and they landed a generational talent all three times. It’s not lost on LeBron James.
The Spurs drafted David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Victor Wembanyama with those picks. Robinson and Duncan are in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and Wembanyama has done things unseen on a basketball court in his three seasons.
“San Antonio continues to be lucky as f— with these generations, talented, IQ, smart, but like, listen, ‘Keep the bottom line the most important thing.’ David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Wemby,” James said during a recent episode of “Mind the Game.”
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Lakers forward LeBron James stands on the court in the closing minutes of Game 4 of the second round of the NBA playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles on May 11, 2026. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)
“Guys who have this dead-serious mentality. They have these horse blinders on and they say, ‘The mission is the mission.’ That’s all that matters, and it’s pretty remarkable to see.”
Wembanyama’s Spurs are tied 1-1 with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, and his performance in Game 1 was astounding. The 22-year-old recorded 41 points and 24 rebounds in the team’s Game 1 victory.
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Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs reacts in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
He joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to record more than 40 points and more than 20 rebounds in their conference finals debut. He also joined David Robinson as the only players in Spurs history to record more than 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game.
“He has the ability to do things that we’ve never seen in our league. His IQ, you can see in the way he talks, you can see in his demeanor that he knows the game. He was taught the game the right way,” James said of Wembanyama.
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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama looks on in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game two of the Western Conference finals at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 20, 2026. (Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images)
In the Spurs’ Game 2 loss to the Thunder on Wednesday night, he played well, but it wasn’t enough to propel San Antonio to another victory. He had 21 points with 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocks.
Robinson won two NBA championships with the Spurs, while Duncan won five championships. The Spurs are hoping to turn their luck from landing Wembanyama in the draft lottery three years ago into more titles in Texas.
Wembanyama and the Spurs will play the Thunder in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday at 8:30 PM ET. Game 3 will be the first home game of the series for the Spurs.
