Well, the NBA has had its fair share of great players from France. But no one might be more talented or have a higher ceiling than Victor Wembanyama. After witnessing his dominance as a rookie, Wemby looks well on his way to become one of the biggest superstars in league history. And as he prepares to take a massive leap this season, the Center received a special message from NBA’s ‘First Frenchman’ Bob Cousy as the Celtics legend made a bold prediction about Wemby’s future.

According to the latest report, Cousy sent a personalized message to Vic through a source, admiring his talent, “Tell him he will be the next Bill Russell and let him know that the first Frenchman in NBA history (Cousy), is watching him closely and with great attention.” Yes, while the Celtics legend was born and raised in New York, he has strong ties with Wemby’s homeland as Cousy’s parents were French immigrants.

Moreover, he grew up in a French speaking household. And when Cousy was a player during the 1950s, the league only had a handful of international players. So, a superstar from French descent was a rarity. While Cousy is now 96-years-old, he stays engaged with the modern NBA and believes that Wemby could replicate the greatness of the legendary Bill Russell. That is a huge honor coming from someone who was Russell’s teammate for seven years and won six titles with him. Obviously, Russell was the most accomplished NBA player ever as he won a record 11 championships in his thirteen-year career.

Sure enough, he was the pioneer of his era and many legends consider him the ultimate GOAT. And the Wembanyama comparison makes sense because he also plays the Center position just like Russell. During his career, Bill averaged 22.5 rebounds and Wemby also proved that he is a solid rebounder as he averaged 10.6 boards last season. Moreover, Bob Cousy is not the first person to notice similarities between Wemby and the Celtics legend.

Lakers legend claimed Victor Wembanyama reminds him of a “Bigger Bill Russell”

While Cousy deemed Wembanyama the “Next Bill Russell” Lakers legend Jerry West also made a similar statement last year. In an interview during the Summer League, West said, “I think when he comes into the league… if you watch him defensively, he ruins games. He reminds me a little bit of a bigger Bill Russell with a big reach coming from everywhere, blindside. So… any offensive player is going to have to really be cautious about where he is, because he is going to mess up some offenses, that’s for sure.” And that’s exactly what happened as Wemby led the league in blocks as a rookie.

More importantly, its not just Wemby’s 7’4 frame that pushed the Lakers legend to make this claim. In fact, he had high praise for the Center’s IQ, “You rarely see someone that combines his brain and his ability. Just watching him play, it’s an easy game for him to play, very easy. Never looks like he’s really working, and if you watch really great players, they don’t look like they’re working hard, they’re always in the right place at the right time.” Surely, that IQ has only gotten better over time with his experience in the league and the impressive silver medal win in the Paris Olympics. And Wemby even warned the competition ahead of his second season, “I’m learning, and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple of years.”

With a stamp of approval from legends like Bob Cousy and Jerry West, Vic is highly likely to take a massive leap in his second season. Do you think he will be the next Bill Russell?