Victor Wembanyama is back on the court after his second season was cut short due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder discovered in February. In the first game of his third NBA season Wednesday against the Mavericks, he looked better than ever.
It's been a while since the French phenom and first pick in the 2023 NBA draft got to amaze onlookers. His guard-like moves and control while standing at 7'4" have never been seen before, just like the remarkable highlights he can put together on any given night.
Wembanyama had 40 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in the Spurs’ 125–92 win over the Mavericks on Wednesday, recording the most points in a season opener in Spurs franchise history. It was the fifth game with 40 or more points in his young career, which includes one 50-point game last season against the Wizards. Outside the numbers, even more impressive was the sheer volume of highlight plays Wembanyama had during San Antonio's season opener, with a number of them causing fans to question what just happened.
Here are some of the best highlights Wembanyama put together during his wild performance to open the season:
Wemby pump fake, one dribble into a reverse slam LOL yeah this guy is definitely averaging like 38 ppg in his prime pic.twitter.com/wfwWfTQ21b
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) October 23, 2025
STEPHON CASTLE LOB TO VICTOR WEMBANYAMA FOR THE REVERSE DUNK
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 23, 2025
🍿🍿🍿🍿
pic.twitter.com/2v96nsSCNW
WEMBY WITH THE BLOCK AND THE SIZEUP 😳
— ESPN (@espn) October 23, 2025
Can't believe what we're watching on ESPN and the ESPN App 🤯 pic.twitter.com/HC6kRpYl3A
NO STOPPING WEMBY 🔥 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5E9qqvEKSL
— ESPN (@espn) October 23, 2025
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA COAST TO COAST
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 23, 2025
🔥🔥🔥
pic.twitter.com/sp6D32QLLE
Wembanyama's magic made basketball fans and personalities think their eyes may have deceived them:
Wemby is doing WHAT
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) October 23, 2025
This Wemby highlight tape from tonight might never be topped
— Matt (@sixringsofsteeI) October 23, 2025
Ive seen Wemby do a handful of things that my brain cant comprehend and hes played 15 minutes
— MarzTalksSports (@MarzTalksSports) October 23, 2025
Wemby has ascended. It's over.
— Carson Breber (@Carsobi) October 23, 2025
Between Victor Wembanyama and Shohei Ohtani, it feels like we’re in an era of athletes expanding our imagination of what we thought was possible pic.twitter.com/IFjeBJRJSO
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) October 23, 2025
Not to overreact or anything but Victor Wembanyama is the best player in the world
— Wemby Central 👽 (@WembyCentral) October 23, 2025
Wemby is unreal! 😳
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) October 23, 2025
Wembanyama played in 46 games last season before he was shut down in February, averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game as he earned his first All-Star appearance. He's led the NBA in blocks in each of his first two seasons and was the league's clear Rookie of the Year in the 2023-24 campaign.
At just 21 years old, Wembanyama continues to get better and better, which is a scary thought for the rest of the league.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Victor Wembanyama Left Fans in Awe With Extraordinary Season Opener.