Wembanyama's latest All-Star returns destroy myth NBA is in trouble

There's been a lot of talk recently about the NBA's viewership and whether the game we all know and love is in some sort of trouble. I'm here to tell you not to worry about the chatter. The league is in good hands, and these returns show that fans are into the new talented players coming up in the Association today.

Wembanyama is gaining votes at a rapid rate

Victor Wembanyama was fifth among Western Conference frontcourt players in last week's returns, trailing Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. As you can see in the graphic above, Wemby has leapfrogged AD and nestled himself into a spot right behind one of the greatest players the game has ever seen in LeBron.

'Bron may be 40 years old, but he still has the eyes and hearts of fans everywhere, and Vic is right on his heels. The Alien gained 702,447 votes over the last week compared to the 813,868 received by King James. He is keeping up a pace that may see him overtake the Lakers forward before long, and that's nothing to sneeze at.

Members of the old guard are going to be at the top of these lists to some capacity. Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, etc., have earned their spots. They'll almost always receive the votes to get on the All-Star team as long as they give even a piece of what they did in their primes.

However, there's a new age coming, and the fact that players like Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and LaMelo Ball are racking up so many votes means the league has talented players that fans are interested in.

Wemby has more votes than every Eastern Conference guard, all but three Eastern Conference frontcourt players. He's also accumulated more than every Western Conference guard other than SGA. That's the most impressive one because guards are always very popular. Kids love to watch shifty players with creative handles and elite shotmaking, but Vic has blown by most of them.

He's quite a way from reaching Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, but those are two former MVPs in their prime. It may feel like Jokic has been around forever, but he's only 29 years old, and the Greek Freak just turned 30 in December. Kevin Durant is your favorite player's favorite player. His spot on the list isn't a surprise, either.

Vic is in great shape to step into the role as face of the league. He's only 21 years old, but his talent demands attention. Once the Spurs get a more competent roster around him, whether due to in-house growth or dealing for talent, he'll take hold of fans everywhere.