For Victor Wembanyama, another NBA Finals appearance is not guaranteed

Even for casual NBA fans, it doesn't take much time to see why Victor Wembanyama is such a force on the basketball court.

Sure, he is officially listed at 7 feet 4 inches, and height matters in basketball more than any other sport. But there have been taller players than him before.

Manute Bol and George Muresan immediately come to mind, tying for the tallest players in NBA history with both measuring in at 7 feet 7 inches. Yao Ming, at 7 feet 6 inches, is also taller than Wemby.

But none of those players were close to being as good as Wemby is already and will eventually be.

While Bol did stretch the floor with his occasional three-point shooting, that type of offensive game wasn't encouraged from centers at the time. He made only 43 of the 205 threes he attempted during his 10-year career, for a 21% career clip. But the game back then dictated that the giants of the past fill the lane, grab boards, and get high-percentage shots. That's not the way the game is played now.

Wemby averaged 8.8 3-point attempts during the 2024-2025 season while shooting 35% from behind the arc. This past season, he lowered that number to a more reasonable 5.5 3PAs a game while maintaining a 35% mark.

He handles the ball more adeptly than Bol, Muresan or Yao could ever dream of. He might have the highest motor in the league, considering his size and the abuse his wiry frame endures in the paint. And his ability to shoot off that dribble is reminiscent of Kevin Durant, another tall player whose all arms and legs and a complete unicorn from anything we've seen in the past.

With all that talent and the organizational structure of the San Antonio Spurs at his disposal, most NBA fans believe it is only a matter of time before Wemby gets another shot at a championship.

But the truth is, winning a title is hard, no matter how talented a player is, and in the NBA, just because you made it to the big show once, it doesn't mean it will happen again.

There's a long list of NBA stars with only one Finals appearance

At just 22 years old and only in his third year in the league, Victor Wembanyama has already made it to a place most NBA stars won't ever get to.

Making it to the championship round of any sport is a tall task, and many players, no matter how great they are, only get one shot.

NBA Hall of Famers Charles Barkley led the Phoenix Suns and Patrick Ewing led the New York Knicks to championship appearances in 1993 and 1994, respectively. Both had been in the league for about a decade when they made their Finals appearances. So they waited a long time.

It was the first and last time they would appear.

Hall of Famers Allen Iverson and Reggie Miller took the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers to finals appearances in 2001 and 2000, respectively. Iverson was young in his career, just five years in the league, when he carried his team to the Finals, only to get blown out 4-1 by Shaq, Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Miller also lost to the Lakers as part of their dynasty run, but he was on the tail end of his career after being drafted in 1987.

Chris Paul, one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, only made one NBA Finals appearance when he was 36 years old, but his Phoenix Suns lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Of course, there are also examples of players who have been to and lost one or multiple championships, only to win the ultimate prize later in their careers. Jason Kidd immediately comes to mind, as does Dirk Nowitzki.

So nothing is written in stone, especially for a phenom like Wemby. But championship opportunities don't just grow on trees, so who knows when we will see the 7'4" jump shooting center back on the biggest stage in the sport.

Related: Victor Wembanyama's Confident Take Ahead of NBA Finals Game 5

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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 6:54 AM.