Former Spurs Champion Calls Out Victor Wembanyama Praise: ‘Let Him Take It'
Victor Wembanyama is only three seasons deep into his NBA career and already receiving heaps of praise, with some ready to place him in the discussion of all-time greats.
In his first playoff appearance, he’s led a young San Antonio Spurs team to the NBA Finals, where they’ll battle a veteran New York Knicks team, which is coming off plenty of rest after an 11-game winning streak in the postseason.
However, San Antonio is already the favorite to win the series, and unsurprisingly, Wemby is the odds-on favorite to win the NBA Finals MVP, which seems to show how much hype and expectation are on him right now.
Meanwhile, he still has his share of critics, as well as those who don’t feel it’s time to crown him the best just yet. Seven-time champion Robert Horry, who won several of his rings under Gregg Popovich on the Spurs, got honest about the growth of Wemby.
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Appearing on “The Road Trippin Show” set inside the Spurs’ Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Horry cautioned against giving early praise to Wemby, saying to pump the brakes on all that praise they’re giving the 22-year-old Frenchman.
Kendrick Perkins suggested that if Wemby wins an NBA championship and Finals MVP this early in his career, “We gotta anoint him with some type of greatness.”
“I’m not saying he’s not great … He’s great. He’s a great defensive player, but all I’m saying is they trying to make him the be-all now. Like he is God’s gift to basketball. I’m just saying, give him time. Give him time. Let him mature. Let him take it. Don’t give it to him. Let him take it,” Horry told Perkins, Richard Jefferson, Allie Clifton, and Channing Frye.
Perkins tried to argue that when LeBron James reached the NBA Finals for the first time against the Spurs, people suggested he was the greatest. However, Jefferson suggested people called him “the future” then because Kobe Bryant was still playing too.
“If you say he’s the future, I’m 100 percent on board with that,” Horry said regarding Wemby, adding that if he won two or three championships within four years, people can anoint him as “great.”
“I’m just saying, don’t anoint someone too early. He hasn’t played enough. He’s been injured. One season, he’s been great this season. Give me two more seasons like that,” the seven-time champion said.
Horry has plenty of experience alongside all-time greats, as his championships came while playing for teams that included legends like former Spurs superstar Tim Duncan, former Houston Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon, and the late, great Kobe Bryant.
Along with that, Horry reminded everyone that a younger LeBron basically carried a Cleveland Cavaliers squad lacking other stars to the NBA Finals. However, Wemby has many talented teammates helping their mission to reach the Finals, including Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell, and Julian Champagnie.
The time for talk will soon be over, as Game 1 between the Knicks and Spurs tips off Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 4:29 PM.