SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The marquee outside of Madison Square Garden in December 1949 once promoted the following event, which was happening a couple of days later: “Geo Mikan vs Knicks.”
Not “Minneapolis Lakers vs. Knicks.” Just George Mikan. The NBA's first one-of-a-kind big man.
It feels like history repeating itself now. The NBA Finals start Wednesday, with the San Antonio Spurs facing the Knicks for the ****** le. And the marquee for this series — in San Antonio, in New York, in Paris and countless other points around the globe — may as well say “Wemby vs Knicks.”
Victor Wembanyama keeps stepping onto bigger and bigger stages. The latest version of the NBA's one-of-a-kind big man — a ****** le once held by the likes of Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal — will have all eyes on him in this series, and probably for every game he plays for the rest of his life. He's not “on the way” to superstardom. He's there. And this series is giving him his first chance at putting champion on his resume.
“This is the best basketball on the planet that’s being played right now,” Wembanyama said after San Antonio won Game 7 at Oklahoma City to capture the Western Conference ****** le. “And the crazy thing is ... I want to do that 15, 20 more times. Let’s hope it doesn’t become an addiction. Maybe it is already.”
Not “Minneapolis Lakers vs. Knicks.” Just George Mikan. The NBA's first one-of-a-kind big man.
It feels like history repeating itself now. The NBA Finals start Wednesday, with the San Antonio Spurs facing the Knicks for the ****** le. And the marquee for this series — in San Antonio, in New York, in Paris and countless other points around the globe — may as well say “Wemby vs Knicks.”
Victor Wembanyama keeps stepping onto bigger and bigger stages. The latest version of the NBA's one-of-a-kind big man — a ****** le once held by the likes of Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal — will have all eyes on him in this series, and probably for every game he plays for the rest of his life. He's not “on the way” to superstardom. He's there. And this series is giving him his first chance at putting champion on his resume.
“This is the best basketball on the planet that’s being played right now,” Wembanyama said after San Antonio won Game 7 at Oklahoma City to capture the Western Conference ****** le. “And the crazy thing is ... I want to do that 15, 20 more times. Let’s hope it doesn’t become an addiction. Maybe it is already.”
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