LeBron James vs Victor Wembanyama: Rookie Season Comparison As 7’5 Sensation Rewrites NBA History

Victor Wembanyama is continuing to top those NBA headlines this season. Despite Spurs’ abysmal performances, he has established himself as one of the best rookies by breaking decade-old records and establishing some of his own. In just 71 games, he’s formed a threshold that the upcoming generations will challenge themselves to overcome. On February 23, Wemby became the only player after Hakeem Olajuwon to post 27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 blocks, and 5 steals- in a loss against the Lakers! Instances like those have brought a question onto the lips of several NBA enthusiasts: How does his rookie season compare to a certain LeBron James?

Victor Wembanyama has secured an average score of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. LeBron James played 79 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers during his 2003-04 rookie season. During the same, he averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. NBA teams were averaging 93.4 ppg back in 2003, while the same has increased to 114.3 ppg. This would mean LeBron either had a higher or an equal standing to the French player despite a brief gap in their scoring effort.

The highest score secured by Wembanyama till now is the 40 points that he dropped against the New York Knicks back in late March. Coincidentally, LeBron’s highest-scoring game as a rookie also took place in late March but 20 years ago. He scored 41 points against the New Jersey Nets (now known as the Brooklyn Nets).

The changing times have brought a considerable improvement in the players’ ability to shoot 3-pointers. While NBA athletes were reportedly averaging 5.2 three-pointers per game, they now average 12.6. Despite this, LeBron James was still someone whose ability to shoot from behind the arc was pulling him down. The player averaged 0.8-2.7 three-pointers during his rookie season, placing him at just 29%. Wembanyama has done considerably better on that accord. His average 1.8-5.5 three-pointers per game have placed his percentage at 32.5%.

The duo were not novice shooters in every regard. The Cavaliers rookie had a field goal percentage of 41.7% and a field throw percentage of 75.4%, while his now young NBA counterpart currently averages 46.5% and 79.6% respectively.

How did LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama fare during their debut game?

The years of 2003 and 2023 were quite different in every regard. Nokia used to dominate the market in one of them, while Apple dominated the other. FRIENDS was all that people would choose to watch on their television, while a plethora of streaming services now gives too many options for viewers to choose from. Despite this, the hype for Victor Wembanyama and LeBron James’ debut game was almost equal in all regards.

The future four-time NBA champion made his debut back in October 2003. At 18 years of age and possessing a stature of 6 foot 8, the player was instantly put into the line of action against the Sacramento Kings at the ARCO arena. With an astonishing 42 minutes on the court, the player ended up scoring 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists that night. Along with Ricky Davis, Carlos Boozer, and J.R. Bremer, the rookie was the only individual to score in the double digits. He went 12-20 in terms of his field goals and only 1-3 in terms of his field throws.

Victor Wembanyama graced the NBA court with his presence for the first time back in October 2023. Going up against the Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks, the player was only allowed 23 minutes on the court. He still managed to add 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists to his name. The player received five fouls during the course of the game, which may have hindered his performance. With 6-9 field goals, his percentage was better than LeBron’s and he even managed to kick off his three-pointers stat considerably well with a 3-5.

Who according to you had the better debut season? Let us know in the comments down below.