Kevin Garnett Crowns Victor Wembanyama 'WemVP' After Dominant Opener

In a performance that sent shockwaves through the NBA on opening night, Victor Wembanyama delivered a statement game that had legends taking notice. None more so than Kevin Garnett, who encapsulated the young star's dominance with a single, perfect word.

A Historic Opening Night Performance

Victor Wembanyama's third NBA season began with the kind of statement that separates good players from generational talents. The San Antonio Spurs' 7-foot-4 phenom torched the Dallas Mavericks for 40 points on an efficient 15-of-21 shooting, adding 15 rebounds in a commanding 125-92 victory.

The performance wasn't just about the numbers—though they were impressive enough. It was about the way Wembanyama imposed his will on the game, showcasing the physicality and aggression he's added to his already otherworldly skill set. Observers noted him deploying moves reminiscent of Shaquille O'Neal, a far cry from the finesse-oriented game many expected from the slender French prodigy when he entered the league.

Garnett's Succinct Seal of Approval

Kevin Garnett, never one to mince words during his Hall of Fame career, took to social media platform X with a reaction that perfectly captured the moment. His tweet read simply: "WemVP."

The clever portmanteau combining Wembanyama's nickname with MVP carries significant weight coming from Garnett, a former league MVP himself who revolutionized the power forward position with his unique combination of size, skill, and intensity. When a player of Garnett's caliber—someone who understood what it took to dominate at the highest level—offers such praise, the basketball world pays attention.

The Garnett Connection Runs Deeper

Garnett's endorsement of Wembanyama as an MVP candidate isn't just idle speculation from a retired legend. The two have developed a meaningful connection that goes beyond Twitter reactions and highlight reels.

Over this past summer, Wembanyama trained with Garnett, though their sessions focused less on X's and O's and more on the mental and emotional components that separate good players from champions. The training centered on leadership development and on-court behavior—the intangibles that made Garnett "The Big Ticket" and one of the most feared competitors in NBA history.

Wembanyama appears to have absorbed these lessons well. His opening night performance showed not just improved physicality but a killer instinct, a willingness to dominate games in a way that announces championship ambitions rather than individual accolades.

From Finesse to Force

What made Wembanyama's season debut particularly noteworthy was the physicality he displayed. Coming into the league, many wondered how his slender frame would hold up against NBA-caliber strength and aggression. Those questions are rapidly becoming moot.

The Spurs' young star has clearly spent the offseason adding functional strength to his frame, and more importantly, learning how to use his unique combination of size and skill in ways that punish defenses. The comparison to Shaquille O'Neal—a player who used overwhelming physical dominance as much as skill—represents a significant evolution in Wembanyama's game.

This physical development, combined with his already elite shot-blocking ability, perimeter skills, and basketball IQ, creates a player unlike anything the NBA has seen before. It's this combination that has Garnett and others genuinely considering MVP possibilities in just his third season.

The MVP Conversation Begins Early

Launching an MVP campaign after one game might seem premature, but Garnett's "WemVP" hashtag represents more than hyperbole. It's a recognition that Wembanyama has the tools, the supporting cast, and now the mentality to compete for the league's highest individual honor.

The Spurs have built their roster around maximizing Wembanyama's unique talents. With another year of NBA experience under his belt and the physical tools to match his skill, the young Frenchman enters this season as a legitimate contender for MVP consideration—not just as a future possibility, but as a present-day reality.

What This Means for San Antonio

For a Spurs franchise that has spent recent years in rebuilding mode following the retirement of their Big Three era, Wembanyama's development represents a return to relevance happening faster than anyone projected. Opening night's demolition of a playoff-contending Mavericks team sent a clear message: San Antonio is ready to compete now, not in some distant future.

The organization has patiently developed Wembanyama, understanding that rushing a player of his unique physical profile could lead to injury or burnout. But patience has its limits, and the time for competing has arrived. With Wembanyama playing at this level, the Spurs can legitimately target a playoff return and potentially more.

A Mentorship That Matters

The relationship between Garnett and Wembanyama highlights something often overlooked in modern NBA discourse: the importance of generational knowledge transfer. Garnett, who himself entered the league as a revolutionary big man straight out of high school, understands the unique pressures and possibilities that come with being a game-changing talent.

By focusing their summer work on leadership and mentality rather than just skills development, Garnett addressed exactly what Wembanyama needed most. The physical tools were already there; the skill development was progressing naturally. What remained was cultivating the mindset of a champion, the willingness to impose one's will on games when it matters most.

Looking Ahead

While one game cannot define a season, Wembanyama's opening performance establishes a baseline of expectations that should have the rest of the league taking notice. If he can sustain anything close to this level of production—and his offseason work suggests he can—the MVP conversation won't just include his name; it might revolve around it.

Garnett's "WemVP" hashtag may have been a one-word tweet, but it encapsulates a larger truth about where Wembanyama stands entering his third NBA season. The tools are there. The mentality is developing. The supporting cast is improving. And legends like Garnett are taking notice.

For San Antonio fans who endured years of rebuilding, and for NBA fans who appreciate witnessing the emergence of generational talent, Victor Wembanyama's season debut offered a tantalizing glimpse of what might be to come. If Garnett's instincts prove correct—and his track record suggests they often are—we might just be watching the dawn of the Wembanyama era in the NBA.