Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Earns First Triple Double In Near-Record Time

by Patrick MoquinJanuary 12, 2024, 1:52 pmDaily Digest, News, Z-Home Slider >

Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama earned the first triple-double of his NBA career in a 130-108 win over the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night. Wembanyama accomplished the feat in just 21 minutes on the floor, making it the second-fastest triple-double in league history.

“Doing it in a win is everything, of course,” Wembanyama said after the game. “I didn’t know it was the second-fastest in NBA history. It matters to me. I’m not the type to talk for nothing. This is the kind of statement we want to make as a team, and this is the type of statement I want to make as a player.”

Despite resting for most of the second half, Wembanyama still managed to burn the Pistons for 16 points, 12 rebounds and ten assists over 21 minutes and two seconds. In this obscure category, Wembanyama is only behind Russell Westbrook, who earned a triple-double for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014 in 20 minutes and 17 seconds.

Though the Spurs have struggled all season and currently hold a 6-30 record, their first overall pick in the 2023 draft has delivered in his first few months with the team.

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In addition to making history in his career, Wembanyama also became the second player in Spurs franchise history to earn a triple-double, joining fellow big man David Robinson. Robinson earned his first triple-double at 23, making 20-year-old Wembanyama the youngest Spurs player to achieve the feat as well.

On the other side of the ball, the Pistons, one-time suitors for Wembanyama before they lost the 2023 draft lottery, struggled all night without injured point guard Cade Cunningham. After snapping their historic losing streak at 28 games earlier this month, the team has not won again and currently holds a 3-35 record. After the game, Wembanyama reflected on a time when he thought he might have been drafted by Detroit.

“It’s weird to imagine a different future and what it could have been,” Wembanyama said of the Pistons. “I’m glad it is the way it is though.”