Being 7-4 definitely doesn't hurt, but there's much more to blocking shots than Victor Wembanyama's height. Early sportsbooks around the globe overwhelmingly have the Spurs' sophomore sensation as the favorite for the upcoming Defensive Player of the Year award, and the consensus is that will probably remain the case for the next decade-plus.
The Frenchman's 254 blocks in his rookie season led the NBA by a whopping 64 (Chet Holmgren, 190) and was the second-most all-time by a rookie who played in fewer than 80 games.
“You got guys in our league that you have to account for any time you get around the rim or around the perimeter in our league history,” LeBron James declared after the Lakers' final matchup with San Antonio in 2024. "He sits right at the top of it, around the top, with all the greats."
Wembanyama's massive wingspan is only enhanced by his natural ability to anticipate, but it's his reaction time and lateral quickness that makes him one of a kind. Dozens of guards have been burned by thinking their usual stepback will do the trick. Other times, guys could've sworn Wembanyama was out of position, throwing up an alley that's met with an emphatic block instead of an oop.
On top of his devastating knack for swatting shots, Victor's presence alone has become enough of a deterrent to prevent the league's most talented players from even trying in the first place. Synergy Basketball's Todd Whitehead once created a hilarious new measure of rim deterrence he affectionately called HELLNAH's (used to describe a player's thought process when turning around despite seemingly having an open lane due to Wemby's presence).
In the 2023-24 season, there were 145 different NBA players who had the nerve to try Wemby only to see their shot pinned off the backboard, spiked to the floor, or even just directly taken from their hands.
Collectively, Victor Wembanyama has now blocked 193 different players in his NBA career.
Full list of every player Wembanyama has blocked since 2023-24
Note: These totals will be updated as the 2024-25 NBA season progresses.
Player | Times Blocked |
---|---|
Jaren Jackson Jr. | 13 |
Nikola Jokic | 11 |
Alperen Sengun | 10 |
Rudy Gobert | 10 |
John Collins | 8 |
Ivica Zubac | 7 |
Nikola Vucevic | 7 |
Anthony Davis | 6 |
Jerami Grant | 6 |
Jakob Poeltl | 5 |
Jalen Williams | 5 |
Lauri Markkanen | 5 |
Trae Young | 5 |
Herb Jones | 4 |
Reggie Jackson | 4 |
Austin Reaves | 4 |
Scottie Barnes | 4 |
Jabari Smith Jr. | 4 |
Jalen Green | 4 |
Walker Kessler | 4 |
Collin Sexton | 4 |
Scoot Henderson | 4 |
Tyrese Maxey | 4 |
Nic Claxton | 4 |
Domantas Sabonis | 4 |
Andrew Wiggins | 3 |
Markelle Fultz | 3 |
GG Jackson | 3 |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 3 |
Chet Holmgren | 3 |
Keyonte George | 3 |
Moses Brown | 3 |
Mo Wagner | 3 |
P.J. Washington | 3 |
DeMar DeRozan | 3 |
Clint Capela | 3 |
Anfernee Simons | 3 |
Deni Avdija | 3 |
KJ Martin | 3 |
Kelly Oubre Jr. | 3 |
OG Anunoby | 3 |
Christian Braun | 3 |
Jalen Smith | 3 |
Giannis Antetokounmpo | 3 |
Zach Edey | 3 |
Desmond Bane | 3 |
Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 2 |
Coby White | 2 |
Marvin Bagley III | 2 |
Grayson Allen | 2 |
Daniel Gafford | 2 |
Jordan Goodwin | 2 |
Tyrese Haliburton | 2 |
Kyrie Irving | 2 |
Jaxson Hayes | 2 |
Alex Len | 2 |
Caris LeVert | 2 |
Max Christie | 2 |
Benn Mathurin | 2 |
Sam Merrill | 2 |
Obi Toppin | 2 |
Paul Reed | 2 |
Nick Richards | 2 |
Steph Curry | 2 |
Daniel Theis | 2 |
Tyus Jones | 2 |
Tari Eason | 2 |
Norman Powell | 2 |
Toumani Camara | 2 |
Jordan Clarkson | 2 |
Kyle Kuzma | 2 |
Jordan Poole | 2 |
Moses Moody | 2 |
LeBron James | 2 |
Dejounte Murray | 2 |
Jaden McDaniels | 2 |
Anthony Edwards | 2 |
Jalen Johnson | 2 |
Andre Drummond | 2 |
Josh Hart | 2 |
Jalen Brunson | 2 |
Keon Johnson | 2 |
Jalen Wilson | 2 |
Amir Coffey | 2 |
Michael Porter Jr. | 2 |
Bobby Portis | 2 |
Santi Aldama | 2 |
Aaron Holiday | 1 |
Aaron Wiggins | 1 |
Bam Adebayo | 1 |
Ochai Agbaji | 1 |
Jose Alvarado | 1 |
Brandon Ingram | 1 |
Brook Lopez | 1 |
RJ Barrett | 1 |
Saddiq Bey | 1 |
Bismack Biyombo | 1 |
Devin Booker | 1 |
Oshae Brissett | 1 |
Cam Thomas | 1 |
Brandon Clarke | 1 |
Pat Connaughton | 1 |
Dillon Brooks | 1 |
Dyson Daniels | 1 |
Dwight Powell | 1 |
Dennis Smith Jr. | 1 |
Delon Wright | 1 |
Gradey Dick | 1 |
Luka Doncic | 1 |
Joel Embiid | 1 |
Drew Eubanks | 1 |
Franz Wagner | 1 |
Dorian Finney-Smith | 1 |
Josh Giddey | 1 |
Aaron Gordon | 1 |
Eric Gordon | 1 |
Tim Hardaway Jr. | 1 |
James Harden | 1 |
Isaiah Hartenstein | 1 |
Kevin Huerter | 1 |
Jonathan Isaac | 1 |
Jarrett Allen | 1 |
Jrue Holiday | 1 |
Jeff Green | 1 |
Trey Jemison | 1 |
Jimmy Butler | 1 |
Josh Green | 1 |
Kyle Anderson | 1 |
Luke Kornet | 1 |
Jonathan Kuminga | 1 |
Jock Landale | 1 |
Damian Lillard | 1 |
Kenneth Lofton Jr. | 1 |
Monte Morris | 1 |
Mikal Bridges | 1 |
Evan Mobley | 1 |
Jalen McDaniels | 1 |
Shake Milton | 1 |
Ja Morant | 1 |
Trey Murphy III | 1 |
Andrew Nembhard | 1 |
Aaron Nesmith | 1 |
Jusuf Nurkic | 1 |
Onyeka Okongwu | 1 |
Isaac Okoro | 1 |
Kelly Olynyk | 1 |
Peyton Watson | 1 |
Scotty Pippen Jr. | 1 |
Cam Reddish | 1 |
Naz Reid | 1 |
Dennis Schroder | 1 |
Zavier Simpson | 1 |
Timmy Allen | 1 |
Jae'Sean Tate | 1 |
Karl-Anthony Towns | 1 |
Jonas Valanciunas | 1 |
Russell Westbrook | 1 |
Zion Williamson | 1 |
Ziaire Williams | 1 |
Dereck Lively | 1 |
Cam Whitmore | 1 |
Fred VanVleet | 1 |
Alex Caruso | 1 |
Terance Mann | 1 |
K. Porter Jr. | 1 |
D. Jones Jr. | 1 |
Dalano Banton | 1 |
Kyle Filipowski | 1 |
De'Aaron Fox | 1 |
Christian Koloko | 1 |
Bub Carrington | 1 |
Brandin Podziemski | 1 |
Lindy Waters III | 1 |
Brice Sensabaugh | 1 |
Johnny Juzang | 1 |
Isaac Jones | 1 |
Mason Plumlee | 1 |
Yves Missi | 1 |
Mike Conley | 1 |
Julius Randle | 1 |
Zaccharie Risacher | 1 |
Deandre Ayton | 1 |
S. Sharpe | 1 |
Donovan Clingan | 1 |
Kyle Lowry | 1 |
Caleb Martin | 1 |
Paul George | 1 |
DeAndre Jordan | 1 |
Matas Buzelis | 1 |
Dalton Knecht | 1 |
Rui Hachimura | 1 |
Jaylen Wells | 1 |
Luke Kennard | 1 |
Some huge names stand at the top of the list of Wembanyama's favorite targets, topped by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who's been rejected by the alien 11 times as of January 2025. Later that month, Jaren Jackson Jr. surpassed Jokic as the player blocked most often by Wembanyama. After being rejected three times each in a back-to-back series, he leads the list with 13.
Houston's standout Turkish center has the distinction of being blocked the most times in one game by Wembanyama, having his shot swatted five teams in a March matchup.
Which teams has Victor Wembanyama blocked the most in his career?
Note: These totals will be updated as the 2024-25 NBA season progresses.
Team | Times blocked |
---|---|
Memphis Grizzlies | 36 |
Utah Jazz | 30 |
Houston Rockets | 27 |
Portland Trail Blazers | 24 |
Denver Nuggets | 24 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 22 |
Los Angeles Lakers | 20 |
LA Clippers | 18 |
Philadelphia 76ers | 17 |
Toronto Raptors | 15 |
Chicago Bulls | 15 |
Oklahoma City Thunder | 14 |
Brooklyn Nets | 14 |
Atlanta Hawks | 13 |
New Orleans Pelicans | 13 |
Washington Wizards | 12 |
Dallas Mavericks | 11 |
Sacramento Kings | 11 |
Golden State Warriors | 10 |
Indiana Pacers | 8 |
Orlando Magic | 8 |
Phoenix Suns | 8 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 8 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 7 |
New York Knicks | 6 |
Boston Celtics | 2 |
Charlotte Hornets | 2 |
Miami Heat | 2 |
Detroit Pistons | 0 |
Through his rookie season, the Pistons were the only team Victor Wembanyama didn't record a block against. He played for 21 minutes in a January blowout win over Detroit and sat out in their final meeting. He will get his chances to change that on February 21st and March 25th, 2025.
While the Spurs' defense hasn't been close to what it used to be in the glory days, they have an unquestionably bright shining star to build around, and that star hasn't even begun to scratch the surface. As the months go by, Wembanyama's block list might just end up breaking this page.