Lakers Coach Darvin Ham Shares What He Told Gregg Popovich About Victor Wembanyama

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs, but rookie Victor Wembanyama stole the show. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had great words for the talented player and LeBron James praised Wembanyama, too.

Wembanyama delivered a 5×5 in the loss to the Lakers and managed to accomplish this in less minutes than anyone else.

“As far as Wemby (Wembanyama),” Ham told the media, “I just told Pop (Popovich) after the game, ‘Man the kid! The thing that impresses me the most about him is he’s uber-talented, multi-faceted highly skilled but I think his biggest trait and quality that you can’t teach or coach is his competitive nature.’

“He’s a competitive kid and he makes winning plays all the time. You see how he plays with his teammates. He’s trying to make the right play whether it’s for himself or for the others that’s out there with him. And defensively — chasing down shots, changing shots, blocking shots, coming up with strong rebounds. But again those two intangibles — the ability to stay that competitive possession by possession and also make winning plays.”

Ham, LeBron praise talented Wembanyama

Wembanyama has been making headlines from the very first moment he joined the NBA. In the loss to the Lakers, he scored 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five blocks, and five steals. It was his first game in LA and Wembanyama made sure he leaves great impression. If you are interested in more stats, you’d love to know that Wembanyama and Michael Jordan are the only NBA players to deliver at least five steals and five blocks in consecutive contests.

LeBron agrees with his head coach on the Wembanyama take. He was impressed by the kid, calling him “special.”

That kid is SPECIAL!! 👽

— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 24, 2024

According to the four-time NBA champion, the Spurs rookie “doesn’t have a ceiling” and can do pretty much anything in his career. Wembanyama enjoys every bit of his games on the basketball court. He has a chance to work with one of the best coaches in league history. Popovich accepted a great challenge with the addition of the French talent and the “kid” sure met everyone’s expectations.