Dwyane Wade Calls Out Victor Wembanyama Ahead of NBA Finals Game 3
As Victor Wembanyama helped the San Antonio Spurs reach the NBA Finals in just his third season, many individuals were quick to celebrate him as the league’s next all-time great, capable of feats never seen before.
That may be true, but he’s been brought back down to a realistic level by the New York Knicks, who recently recorded their 13th straight playoff win in Game 2 and now lead the Finals 2-0.
Let’s be clear: Wemby unleashed some incredible and monstrous performances this postseason, including that double-overtime masterpiece where he had 41 points, 24 rebounds, and three blocks to help defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home court.
Since beating the reigning champions, he’s had a challenging task against the Knicks’ big men, and despite still putting up All-Star numbers, NBA legend Dwyane Wade says we need to see a lot more from Wemby if he wants to win the championship.
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“What [Wemby’s] done has been incredible. I need to see more. If you’re gonna win this championship … If you’re gonna beat the Knicks in four games, we’re gonna have to see Wemby go to the level that we think Wemby can go to,” Wade said on “The Time Out With Dwyane Wade” podcast.
The Basketball Hall of Famer recalled that his first NBA Finals took him to a performance level he hadn’t realized he could reach until he was in that spotlight and had to deliver as his team’s star player.
“I knew the opportunity that was in front of me. I didn’t want the opportunity to pass me by, and so I end up discovering a player that I never had seen before. That guy who averaged 34.7 in the Finals, I never seen him before. I never had to perform like that,” he said.
It’s worth noting that Wade’s average in his first-ever NBA Finals was the third-highest in history for a player in an NBA Finals debut.
Wade, a three-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat, captured his first title in 2006 alongside another dominant big man, Shaquille O’Neal, who joined the squad via trade in the 2004-05 season. Due to Wade’s standout performance in his championship series debut, he won the NBA Finals MVP.
To get anywhere near what Wade delivered in his first championship series, Wemby certainly has to step things up. According to StatMuse, he’s averaging 27.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game so far, across two losses.
He’s capable of a lot more, but the issue may be fatigue. It took the 22-year-old and his teammates seven games to defeat the reigning champions in a hard-fought Western Conference Finals victory. Now they’re battling a Knicks team that emerged from the Eastern Conference after back-to-back sweeps of the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Game 3 between the Spurs and Knicks occurs on Monday in New York City, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 10:33 AM.