Lebron James On Spurs Draft: Robinson, Duncan and Wembanyama Power 1-1 Run
LeBron James put lebron james on spurs draft front and center with a blunt salute to San Antonio’s history: the Spurs landed David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Victor Wembanyama with three No. 1 overall picks. He called the franchise “lucky as f---” for that stretch, then pointed to Wembanyama’s place in it while the Western Conference Finals sat tied 1-1.
James and Wembanyama
“San Antonio continues to get lucky as f--- with these generational, talented, IQ, smart, but like, listen, ‘Keep the main thing the main thing.' David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and Wemby,” James said on a recent episode of “Mind the Game.” He added, “Guys who have this dead-serious mentality. They have these horse blinders on, and they're like, ‘The mission is the mission.' It's all that matters, and it's pretty remarkable to see.”
James also singled out what Wembanyama can do on the floor. “He has the ability to do things that we haven’t seen in our league ever,” he said. “His IQ, like you can tell by the way he talks, you can tell by his demeanor he knows the game. He was taught the game the right way.”
Robinson and Duncan
The Spurs have had the No. 1 overall pick three times, and each one produced a name James put in the same sentence with Wembanyama. Robinson and Duncan are both in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and their careers give the San Antonio draft track record a weight that goes beyond one strong player or one good season.
That history lines up with where the Spurs are now. They were tied 1-1 with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals after Wembanyama delivered 41 points and 24 rebounds in Game 1, then followed with 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocks in Game 2. He also joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to record more than 40 points and more than 20 rebounds in their conference finals debut, and joined Robinson as the only players in Spurs history with more than 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game.
Game 3 in San Antonio
Game 3 was scheduled for Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET and will be the first home game of the series for the Spurs. The setting puts the franchise’s draft history and Wembanyama’s production in the same spotlight, with San Antonio trying to turn its 1-1 position into control of the series on its own floor.
