The Spurs won the NBA Draft Lottery, landing the opportunity to draft a generational talent with the No. 1 overall pick.
Sound familiar? It should.
This marks the third time in franchise history that San Antonio has won the NBA Draft Lottery, and the first two instances developed into two of the greatest big men the game has ever seen.
In 1987, the Spurs selected David Robinson with the first overall pick. In 1997, the Spurs selected Tim Duncan with the first overall pick. 16 years later, the Spurs will select French phenom Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick, paving the way for the one-of-a-kind talent to follow in the footsteps of two Hall of Famers.
With Robinson and Duncan setting the bar as two of the most productive rookies in NBA history, Wembanyama has some big shoes to fill — and I'm not talking about his size 20.5 basketball sneakers.
MORE: A deep dive into the world of what Victor Wembanyama could be
David Robinson's rookie season with Spurs
Robinson was a man amongst boys during his four years at the United States Naval Academy.
In his senior season, Robinson averaged 28.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game, taking home all three Player of the Year honors the NCAA had to offer. He was the sure-fire No. 1 pick in 1987, even if it meant the Spurs had to wait two years for him to suit up because of his requirement to serve his active-duty obligations for the U.S. Navy.
When he finally joined San Antonio in 1989-90 as a 24-year-old, "The Admiral" anchored the greatest single-season turnaround in NBA history (at the time).
The Spurs finished with a 21-61 record the year prior. Behind a rookie Robinson, they went 56-26 and became a title contender.
Robinson played all 82 games, averaging 24.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals. The unanimous Rookie of the Year was also an All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defense during his debut season, leading San Antonio to the Western Conference Semifinals.
Not too bad for a first-year player, huh?
Robinson is widely considered to have had one of the greatest rookie seasons in NBA history.
Tim Duncan's rookie season with Spurs
Safe take: Injuries are never a good thing. But when Robinson missed the start of the 1996-97 season with a back injury, then suffered a season-ending foot injury six games into his return, it sent the Spurs to the basement of the NBA standings.
That put San Antonio in line to land the 1997 NBA Draft's crown jewel — a stoic 6-11 center out of Wake Forest. One decade after winning future Hall of Famer Robinson in the lottery, the Spurs struck gold again with Duncan.
Duncan dominated college basketball for four seasons, averaging 20.8 points, 14.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game as a senior. Like Robinson, Duncan took home all three Player of the Year honors the NCAA had to offer. San Antonio selected him with the No. 1 overall pick, pairing what would become one of the most dominant frontcourt duos in NBA history, known as the "Twin Towers."
Duncan was a monster from the get-go, averaging 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks over 82 games as a 21-year-old.
He helped the Spurs break their own record for the best single-season turnaround in NBA history, going from 20-62 in 1996-97 to 56-26 in 1997-98. Behind Robinson and Duncan, the Spurs returned to the Western Conference Semifinals but fell to Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Jazz.
The 1998 Rookie of the Year followed The Admiral's footsteps, becoming an All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defensive Team member during his debut season. He even one-upped Robinson, becoming the first rookie to make First Team All-NBA since Larry Bird in 1979-80.
Duncan saw Robinson's productive rookie season and raised the bar even higher.
Victor Wembanyama's expectations with Spurs
Wembanyama enters the NBA with a decent resume himself. The likely No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft was a monster for Metropolitans 92 in France's LNB Pro A, averaging 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.4 assists per game.
He has already stacked his trophy case, taking home MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Best Young Player while earning the league's Scoring and Blocks Titles in 2023.
But the expectations to follow in Robinson and Duncan's footsteps feel nearly insurmountable.
The 2022-23 Spurs finished with a 22-60 record, but no one should expect Wembanyama to lead a single-season turnaround and carry San Antonio to the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals the way each of the Twin Towers did.
Could Wembanyama be the first rookie All-Star since Blake Griffin in 2011? I honestly think he will. But cracking an All-NBA or All-Defensive Team the way Robinson and Duncan both did as rookies would be extraordinary in today's league.
Robinson finished his Hall of Fame career as a two-time champion, one-time MVP, one-time Defensive Player of the Year, 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defense and Rookie of the Year.
Duncan finished his Hall of Fame career as a five-time champion, two-time MVP, 15-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 15-time All-Defense and Rookie of the Year.
If you take the baseline of their two all-time great careers, that means Wembanyama would have to at least be a Hall of Famer, two-time champion, one-time MVP, 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defense and Rookie of the Year to live up to the hype of his predecessors.
That resume sounds outlandish, but it still wouldn't be the most unhinged standard you'll hear for what people are expecting of the 19-year-old.
Call me crazy, but provided a clean bill of health, I don't see why Wembanyama can't reach those astronomical heights.