Kendrick Perkins Makes Bold Declaration About Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs are one win away from making the Western Conference Finals.

If the Spurs can notch a road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 6, they’ll move on to face off against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the reigning NBA-champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander are the leading candidates for this year’s NBA MVP trophy. SGA is expected to earn his second consecutive trophy, but Wembanyama is making a strong push at just 22 years old.

ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins feels Wembanyama has “officially taken over the NBA.”

“The NBA belongs to Wemby for the next 10 years,” Perkins said. “This is Wemby’s world and everybody’s trying to get an apartment in it. I have never seen a guy that is so dominant on both ends of the floor.”

“I’m already watching the greatest defender I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes,” he added.

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Wembanyama, the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 20.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game through the first nine playoff games of his NBA career. He missed the majority of Game 4 after he was ejected for elbowing Naz Reid in the jaw, but returned with a 27-point, 17-rebound performance in Game 5.

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Wembanyama scored 18 of his 27 points through just nine minutes of action in the first quarter.

"I think it's super important for us the way we start the game, because it sets the tone,” Wembanyama said, "Now the challenge is to do it for 48 minutes."

Game 6 will tipoff at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday night.

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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 12:25 PM.