Victor Wembanyama and LeBron James: Comparing their NBA Rookie Debuts After Spurs' Loss to Mavs

• LeBron James made his NBA debut in 2003 against the Sacramento Kings
• Victor Wembanyama made his NBA debut on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks
• James and Wembanyama delivered solid performances in their first NBA games

The Victor Wembanyama era has officially begun.

It wasn't the debut that many expected, with the San Antonio Spurs star playing limited minutes due to foul trouble.

Sports Brief compares the Frenchman's first NBA start to LeBron James' debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2003.

LeBron James' debut with the Cavs

All eyes were on James when he made his NBA debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Sacramento Kings on October 29, 2003.

The 18-year-old phenom lived up to the hype, stuffing the stat sheet in his first official NBA game.

He scored 25 points, dished out nine assists, and grabbed six rebounds in 42 minutes of action, per ESPN. He also was a menace on the defensive end, recording four steals against the Kings.

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James, who shot 12 of 20 from the field, couldn't lead Cleveland to victory, however, as the Cavs suffered a 106-92 loss.

He became the second 18-year-old to score at least 10 points in his NBA debut. He joined Jonathan Bender, who scored 10 points in his first game for the Indiana Pacers in 1999.

Victor Wembanyama's debut with the Spurs

The Frenchman wasn't able to show much of his talent in his first NBA game with the Spurs, playing just 23 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night due to foul trouble.

Wembanyama showed what he is capable of when he returned to the court in the fourth quarter, scoring nine points in the final period to power the Spurs' late surge.

Their rally came up short, though, as the Mavs pulled off a 126-119 victory on the road.

The 18-year-old star finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block, per Yahoo Sports.

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He shot 6 of 9 from the field, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. He got hot in the fourth quarter, making his first four field goal attempts during that period.

Wembanyama also committed five turnovers in his debut, some of which were due to offensive fouls.

Who are the best NBA players today?

Sports Brief recently ranked the top 5 NBA players ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Nikola Jokic grabbed the top spot, while Giannis Antetokounmpo came in second on the list.

Rounding out the top five are Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, and Stephen Curry.