The thing that makes Victor Wembanyama so special is his ability to do a little bit of everything on the basketball court. Rookies are not supposed to have their fingerprints all over the game the way that the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is able to, and as a result, it seemed inevitable that he’d eventually get a five-by-five.
For those who don’t know, a 5×5 is when a player records at least five points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals in a game. It is exceedingly rare, as we haven’t had one in the league since Jusuf Nurkic in 2019, and the NBA has only seen 21 of them (it’s worth mentioning that blocks and steals were not kept before 1972, so Wilt Chamberlain assuredly has a lot of 5×5 games). But Wembanyama was able to pick one up in his 51st career game, as he went for a 5×5 on Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.
WEMBY HAS A 5×5 pic.twitter.com/9P59f8gjrr
— WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) February 24, 2024
You know how it’s pretty good when you make it onto a list with Michael Jordan? Well, this wasn’t 5×5 news, but it sure is good.
The only players in the last 50 years with five steals and five blocks in two consecutive games:
— Michael Jordan, 1987
— Victor Wembanyama, 2024— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) February 24, 2024
On the night, Wembanyama had 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals, and five blocks in a 123-118 road loss to the Lakers. And according to the site NBAHoopsOnline.com, Wembanyama made some history here as he set the record for the fewest minutes needed to achieve a 5×5 — Marcus Camby previously had the record at 34 minutes, while Wembanyama did it in only 31.
Funny enough, he nearly had a 5×5 game on Thursday night, too, as he registered 19 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks, five steals, and four assists against Sacramento. While we had to wait an extra day for him to join this exclusive basketball club, we have a hunch this won’t be the last time he does this in his career.