French phenom Victor Wembanyama on Monday became the second-youngest player to record over 30 points, five assists and five rebounds in an NBA Finals game, as he guided the San Antonio Spurs to a 115-111 win over the New York Knicks in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
Magic Johnson — the youngest player to register such a stat line — was floored by the Spurs star’s performance, as evidenced by his lengthy message on X.
“I was in awe of Victor Wembanyama’s performance tonight – not only did he score 32 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, he also became the 2nd youngest player to have 30, 5 and 5 in the victory over the Knicks on their home court (behind some kid who played for the Lakers) 😂,” wrote Johnson, while referring to himself.
“The entire Spurs team deserves a lot of credit for believing they could win and coming out and executing their game plan. They couldn’t have won without help from Castle, who stepped up tonight with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists – and four other Spurs ended in double figures: Harper scored 13 points, Champagnie and Fox had 12 points, and Vassell finished with 11.”
Victor Wembanyama Makes NBA History
Wemby finished with 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals, while shooting 61% from the field, as the Spurs upset the Knicks at Madison Square Garden to avoid falling to a 3-0 hole in the NBA Finals. Crucially, he outplayed Karl-Anthony Towns (11 points on 4-of-10 shooting) after the Knicks star got the better of him through the first two games of the NBA Finals.
The 22-year-old surpassed the late great Kobe Bryant as the second-youngest player to record 30 points, five boards and five assists in the NBA Finals.
Magic Johnson (LAL, 1980) – 20 year & 278 days
Victor Wembanyama (SAS, 2026) – 22 years & 155 days
Kobe Bryant (LAL, 2001) – 22 years & 289 days
Spurs Revitalize NBA Finals
The Spurs weren’t the only victors on Monday. Scores of neutral basketball fans around the world have reason to rejoice, as Wemby and Co. injected new life into the series after dropping the first two games to the Knicks.
Wembanyama and his teammates are still behind the eight-ball, as they’re attempting to become the first team ever to rally back after losing the first two home games in a Finals series. However, the Game 3 win helps them inch a step closer to the mission.
Spurs star Stephon Castle, though, realizes that the Spurs still have a tall task ahead of them to win three of the remaining four games in the series.
“I don’t know if I would say ‘relief.’ We still haven’t really done anything,” he said after the win, via ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
“We’re still down 2-1. Whether we won or lost this game, the series wouldn’t have been over for us. It feels good to win, especially on the road after dropping two bad ones. Our confidence has been the same throughout this series regardless of what happened.”
If the Spurs can level up the NBA Finals on Wednesday, they will essentially reclaim home-court advantage before heading back home for Game 5 on Saturday.
Magic Johnson’s Raw Reaction to Victor Wembanyama is Going Viral